Democrats in Texas seem to be excited about this: They've convinced retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq during the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. Sanchez described himself to McClatchy over the phone, saying, "I decided that socially, I'm a progressive, a fiscal conservative and a strong supporter, obviously, of national defense." He added that, "America has a responsibility to its people."

Sanchez was cleared of direct involvement in prisoner abuse by Army investigators. However, the widespread torture of Iraqi prisoners still happened on his watch and he had approved harsh "interrogation techniques" that were described by investigators as "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuse." When asked about Sanchez, Former Texas Lt. Governor Ben Barnes told McClatchy, "He's got a very compelling story." Yeah, you could say that.

[McClatchy via Politico; on Sanchez's watch via AP]