The Fox network is using the runaway hit "24" to scare its audience into supporting the President's agenda.

The show is much more successful than the White House at making the case for torture. Its ratings have gone steadily up over the last five years, while Bush's ratings have gone steadily down.

In "24," Sutherland plays special agent Jack Bauer, head of the Counter Terrorism Unit. He fights some of his biggest battles not with the dark-skinned enemies trying to nuke L.A., but rather with the light-skinned do-gooders who think the head of the Counter Terrorism Unit should follow the rules.

Back in season four, for example, the bumbling bureaucrats released a captured terrorist before he could be tortured, because a lawyer for "Amnesty Global" showed up whining about the Geneva Conventions. Jack had to quit the Counter Terrorist Unit and become a private citizen in order to break the suspect's fingers.

I have to hand it to Fox, this is really tricky. It is also devious and very underhanded. These guys have absolutely no shame.

What is next? Will "American Idol" have an episode where only patriotic songs are sung by the contestants? Will Bart Simpson join al-Quaeda only to be waterboarded by Lisa until he rejoins the family? Will they send the nanny's from "Nanny 911" over to run Gitmo and get those unruly detainees to start talking?

This is just getting ridiculous.