jesus wept. i like that this "compassionate conservative" administration is about to nominate to an important post in a violent, politically charged state a man whose history includes complicity in, and willful public blindness about, human rights violations on a grand scale. actual quote: "to this day, i still do not believe death squads were at work in honduras."

as a commenter at matthew yglesias's site wrote, "and he doesn't speak arabic, but that's ok...ak-47 is the international language."