Andrew Sullivan identifies one of the architects of the Bush/Cheney torture policy: Edward Whelan, who – incredibly – heads up the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

The presence of devout Catholics authorizing the waterboarding of a human being 183 times in a row really does help put theoconservatism into a new perspective, doesn’t it? Speaking of which, where are the Catholic bishops? They can manage to get into the news opposing a commencement speech by the president, but when incontrovertible evidence that the Bush administration tortured prisoners emerges, the silence from the top is deafening.

But the Catholic Church today has become fixated on two beliefs – the evils of modernity, and the primacy of obedience – and two issues – abortion, and homosexuality. Nothing else matters to the hierarchy. Nothing.
UPDATE: Whelan claims that the reports are erroneous, and Andrew has withdrawn his accusation. But the broad conclusion – that the christianists are deeply hypocritical and only care about issues that have cultural leverage – is still true.