NP: Oasis, Don't Believe The Truth

For all the bleating on either side -- and Eric Zorn summarizes some of the response from the left pretty well here -- about the appropriateness or inappropriateness of Dick Durbin's Nazi comment last week, I haven't seen anyone talking about what I think is important here.

Did Durbin do this on purpose?

I'm not just saying this because he's my Senator, but he's not a stupid man by any stretch. He's been pretty reliable as far as being both level-headed and liberal. Surely he knows the rhetorical backlash his comments would inflame, right? He has to.

So, if we assume that to be the case, he said what he said knowing full well what the reaction would be. Was the point to get the GOP and its media arm to, effectively, come out as supporting torture? Is this some kind of suckerpunch to put the right in a dubious spot of moral relativism?

I have a hunch it is, and I'm curious to see what the longterm play is, if and when it reveals itself.