Argentina's last dictator was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday for kidnappings and torture during the nation's 1976-1983 military regime.
Reynaldo Bignone, 82, was convicted along with five other former military officers in 56 cases involving torture, illegal detentions and other crimes in one of Argentina's largest torture centers, the Campo de Mayo army base.
These events, over thirty years past, seem more part of an historical record than the stuff of court cases. While the wheels of official justice occasionally grind slow, they do grind, and former General Reynaldo Bignone will spend the remaining time he has left on earth in jail.
For those who wish for the Obama DOJ to go after Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and others for doing many of the same things, we should remember that sometimes, a full accounting awaits the comforting distance of some time. With this conviction, Argentina shows the United States how one deals with national "leaders" who flaunt the rule of law in the name security. It may take time, but at some point, a prosecutor will put at least some of those responsible in the tank for their crimes and we, the people, will be able to say that we have, finally and fully, restored the rule of law.
