The New Republic

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Even for those of us who are not '24' watchers, The Wall Street Journal's amusing front page story on the show is well worth a read. Concerned that Jack Bauer was becoming too closely identified with torture and the Bush administration's foreign policy, the producers sought to reinvent their hero. This (eventually ditched) idea was particularly hilarious: READ MORE >>

Fans of the show "24," or anyone who has followed the recent controversy surrounding its portrayal of torture, may have been understandably surprised by a mid-summer announcement by Fox network executives: The series—whose co-creator and executive producer, Joel Surnow, is a Rick Santorum- supporting, friend-of-Ann-Coulter sort of conservative, and whose hero, Jack Bauer, knows his way around a waterboard—was going green. In fact, it would be the first TV series ever to do so. Henceforth, every electroshock session would require the purchase of carbon offsets. READ MORE >>

On "Meet the Press" yesterday, Bill Clinton invoked the show "24" to delineate his (and Hillary's) views on torture and the ticking time bomb scenario. I have no problem with putting the issue into easy-to-understand terms, although it was a bit odd when Clinton actually seemed to cite the show's plot twists in defense of his position (see bolded passage at end): READ MORE >>

This has to be among the most depressing things I've read in a while: "Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles. ... He saved hundreds of thousands of lives," Judge Scalia said. Then, recalling Season 2, where the agent's rough interrogation tactics saved California from a terrorist nuke, the Supreme Court judge etched a line in the sand. "Are you going to convict Jack Bauer?" Judge Scalia challenged his fellow judges. "Say that criminal law is against him? 'You have the right to a jury trial?' Is any jury going to convict Jack Bauer? I don't think so." READ MORE >>

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