If you’ve looked at any major news source over the weekend, I’m sure you’re aware of the recent brouhaha surrounding Barack Obama’s remarks regarding bitterness, guns and religion. Now, everyone is shouting out how Obama is elitist. However, that’s not why I’m here. Oh sure, I could go on in detail how people in Pennsylvania – nay, America as a whole – really are bitter. Or how Obama was referring to the powerless finding solace in the few things they can control. Or how those shouting “elitist” are effectively social elites trying desperately to pander to the commoners. But there are more important issues afoot.

Bush admitted to approving torture.

Let that sink in for a sec. Read it a few times if you have to. If you’re like me, you should feel an odd numbness, lack of surprise and a creeping horror at the realization that you’ve grown accustomed to such news. However, in my case these emotions were soon replaced with a simmering rage. You see – despite this bombshell – all eyes were on Obama this weekend.

ABC News had an interview with George W. Bush. When the issue of secret meetings regarding “enhanced interrogation” of detainees came up, Bush confirmed he signed his approval to a variety of questionable interrogation tactics. To quote the monkey from the Miami Herald: “Well, we started to connect the dots in order to protect the American people. And yes, I’m aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.” This comes after years of “We do not torture.” This, after years of trying to distance the president from the “aberrant” abuses of detainees. This, after months of senior administration officials trying to take blame in the wake of memos, trying to portray Bush as out of the loop.

While I’m sure neo-conservative blowhards will rush to defend their king, I think it apt to give an example of the tactics our president approved of. Looking to the recently leaked Yoo memo, CIA interrogators are allowed to sexually mutilate children of detainees to get confessions. I dare you Bushies to try and rationalize crushing a kid’s testicles in a vice in the name of “freedom.”

By all rights, this is a journalistic goldmine. Unfortunately, ABC News was the only network that ran the story. All the other news networks did nothing but yammer nonsense about Obama being a “liberal elite” who looked down on the rank and file of America, poo-pooing gun ownership, religion, etc. The networks have tried to gloss over the exposé by creating a controversy out of a little something Obama said. It was thus with a certain degree of annoyance I found the smokescreen had spread to my beloved Nexus as well. No mention of Bush’s confession, but instead a spread on Obama coming under fire for his remarks.

This kind of censorship is inexcusable. It is with this in mind that I try to rectify this gross omission. We cannot let this slip though the cracks. Bush has authorized practices for which we have executed war criminals in the past, and by trying to deflect attention away news corporations have implicated themselves in these atrocities. God willing, Bush’s media cronies will be implicated in his war crimes when he’s finally called to task.

In the meantime, I hope Jon Stewart runs a piece on this. That would at least provide a few laughs.