I’m not sure why people say that torture simply “doesn’t work.” Because of course it does. We’ve used it before, in WW2, tactics that would most definitely fall under “torture”, to find Nazi war criminals, and those tactics worked. And of course there is potential for bad information, there /always/ is, whether you use torture or not.

I think if you’re relying on “torture never works” you’re being dogmatic about it, and unreasonably so. Of course, saying that torture can produce good information does NOT mean that one should use torture, non-torture methods could also potentially produce good information.

The ticking time bomb scenario is one that is abused by both sides. Pro-torture advocates use it to tug at one’s emotions, and anti-torture advocates use it to describe what they consider an absurdity. But it is really only an absurdity because no one expects a NUCLEAR WEAPON to be within minutes of going off in an American city, with torture the only option. But perhaps something smaller? An IED? A car bomb? An ambush on a convoy? Who knows. Do you really consider all of these scenarios, which definitely have a time element to them, to be so far beyond the realm of possibility?

I would never actually advocate torture, but then I am not in any position of power. I can see the pressure if, as POTUS, I was told that there is imminent danger to thousands of Americans, and we’ve tried non-torture methods but getting nowhere. Not only do I not want to see Americans die, but I also worry how I will be blamed for those deaths if I did not resort to torturing an individual who is clearly not the most morally upright.

In my opinion, the United States should NEVER make torture a policy. It leads down a dark road. It is a slope entirely too slippery. However, if someone felt they had to, because they thought it was the only way to save lives, I can’t say I don’t understand their mentality. And if they are right, they should still face the consequences, and if they are wrong, moreso. But I suspect, if the were right, and made their case, the American public would find a way to forgive them.

Finally, I will say that some of these methods, such as secret prisons, secret renditions, kidnappings, and more, unsavory interrogation methods, have been employed by the Clinton administration. This is not a new phenomenon. What /is/ new, is the willingness to go public about it, giving an air of legitimacy to those tactics. In my opinion, that is almost more dangerous than using it. There is some benefit in paying lip service to the unacceptability of torture and going to lengths to give that appearance.