1. It's questionable at this point whether torture techniques (waterboarding, etc.) approved by the previous administration produced critically useful intelligence information. And, of course, we'll never really know if conventional methods of interrogation might have worked instead.
2. Like many other "end(s) justifies the means" approaches rampant throughout this country (questionable "ends" in this situation, as noted), it doesn't pass the "smell" test. (Among some other, "minor" legal ones....)
E.g., Slavery "worked" for the ruling class in agrarian America of the past. Does (did) that make that "means" morally and ethically correct? Even acceptable?
Ethnic cleansing has "worked" to achieve desired ends of countries and their rulers. That means that is "OK"?
At our own, personal level; similar form of reasoning/rationalization: "I'll be sure to graduate if I just cheat a little for this final exam, by obtaining secret, hard-to-get information (in advance) through unfair or illegal means...."
Where do we (begin to) draw the line?
How about: The U.S. does not torture. Period.
3. Investigate. Bring appropriate charges. Prosecute. So maybe it won't happen again:
"Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vermont, isn't waiting. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee called for a non-partisan investigation like the 9/11 Commission to look into what happened with the Bush administration's detainee policy. But if there isn't support for that notion, Leahy said he'd be happy to have his committee do the job.
Referencing the memos President Obama released, Leahy said "opinions were written totally contrary to the law."
"How did they convince themselves and have lawyers who would write twisted, twisted memos to convince themselves that they didn't have to follow the law?" Leahy asked. "We had a certain cadre within the White House or within the administration, they could automatically excuse themselves from following the law."
"They were trying to steal the Constitution of the United States," Leahy said on the floor of the Senate, comparing what he believes the Bush administration did with some of the bankers who have recently been accused of stealing funds. " They're trying to steal the credibility of the United States and trying to steal the honor and morality of the United States.""
Source: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/04/yoo-defends-him.html
(From several months ago:)
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