Three posts I saw today . . .

. . . that save me the trouble of finding something original to say:

• Philosoraptor: "There is an aspect of the American military that is extremely honorable and admirable, and only fools deny that. But we are, it seems, deluded in a particularly dangerous way if we ignore the fact that not all of the various types of people who tend to be attracted to the military are admirable."
• The Reality-Based Community: "Every state has a treaty obligation to criminalize torture, and to prosecute torturers itself or extradite them for prosecution elsewhere." [emphasis added]
  
• Greg Mankiw's Blog: "Bloomberg reports that the Ted spread is now below 100 basis points. The Ted spread, the difference between the interest rates on interbank loans and T-bills, is one gauge of how much fear is gripping the financial system. Its decline suggests that the TARP is working and is certainly good news." [The spread had been over 400 basis point in November.]