Do the Right Thing

This New York Times article discusses the reasons why the prospect of eventually indicting any of the architects of the Bush torture regime is unlikely:

Steep legal and political hurdles remain to criminal prosecutions of the high-level policy makers, and even lesser punishments — like disbarment of the lawyers who signed off on the program — are supported by few precedents, legal specialists say.

“Those who want heads to roll are likely to be dissatisfied,” said Daniel C. Richman, a professor of criminal law at Columbia University.

This news, while depressing, is ultimately beside the point. The goal of prosecution here is only secondarily indictment and punishment. Few rational people expect to see Dick Cheney in an orange jumpsuit. We must prosecute because it's the right thing to do, because it will have a chilling effect on future decision makers who willfully ignore our ideals for the sake of political expediency. It will remind everyone who has forgotten what this nation stands for.