One of the most obvious signs that this White House knows it's in political trouble is when it goes on the attack against individual Democrats. Last week it was DNC chair Howard Dean. This week, it's Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Durbin gave a statement on the Senate floor and quoted an FBI report on interrogations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to that report, some detainees have been chained to the floor in the fetal position in extreme temperatures and been deprived of food and water.

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings," Durbin said.

Said McClellan: "I think the senator's remarks are reprehensible. It's a real disservice to our men and women in uniform who adhere to high standards and uphold our values and our laws."

A Durbin spokesman said Wednesday that the senator did not plan to apologize for the comments. The senator issued a statement saying it's the administration that should apologize "for abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure."

The right-wing echo machine is throwing Durbin's remarks around as red meat for their followers and the media to lap up. Rather than deal with problems at Guantanamo cited in the FBI report, they'll attack the messenger whether it's Newsweek or Dick Durbin.