Trick question: Jack Bauer doesn't bleed.

For those of you who live under a rock, the season premiere of Fox's "24" aired tonight, kicking off the show's sixth season featuring the ass-kicking, terrorist-killing, always-right Jack Bauer.

While I'm a dedicated fan of the show, I find myself wondering if I should be--should progressives embrace a show that glorifies breaking every know domestic and international law to track down terrorists? Should I get pumped when Jack Bauer single-handedly finds his enemies, tortures information out of them, and shoots them before continuing his quest for justice? Or should I turn off the TV in horror, recognizing the uncomfortable similarities between Bauer's world and ours?

The New York Times noted this week that while "24" sometimes deviates from its hawkish model--by casting terrorist masterminds as upper-class white Americans, for instance--torture and law-breaking are increasingly utilized to get fast results in intense national security situations.

It's just TV, I know, but what does our obsession with "24" say about us? I'd like to think it's just wishful thinking that even the most complicated terrorist problems could be solved in 24 hours--after all, if everyone just listened to Jack Bauer, the show would be called "12." But I can't help but be troubled by what my choices say when I worship weekly at the Jack Bauer temple.