Yahoo News - Matt Bai: The ‘24’ Effect - Did the TV drama convince us that torture really worked? [Except for its position on torture, presented as a necessary practice in some (highly unlikely) situations, '24' inadvertently revealed the bankruptcy of our 2-party system, since this series was a darling of the GOP, when, except for the torture segments, it could have been written by Nancy Pelosi and Al Sharpton.]

The ‘24’ Effect

I have three vivid memories of watching television in the fall of 2001. The first, of course, is of seeing the twin towers fall, which is an image most of us will never shake. The second is of watching Mariano Rivera throw the wrong pitch in Game Seven of the World Series.

And the last is of getting sucked helplessly into the premiere, just a few days later, of aninnovative drama called “24.” ...

http://news.yahoo.com/the--24--effect-002709277.html