The use of torture carries deep dangers for American society. Its use corrodes democratic values and governance. The administration's failure to instill confidence that it is not using torture augments the perception of American hypocrisy abroad: How can this country urge democratization in the Arab world if it simultaneously uses abusive Arab security services to manhandle its prisoners? Torturing enemy combatants also threatens American troops abroad by eroding the international norms of treatment for captured enemy soldiers. It would be naive to expect that intelligence interrogations overseas will comport with the rules that govern law enforcement here at home. But the United States has signed international treaties forbidding torture, and forswearing such brutality is as fundamental a commitment of civilized government as exists. It is incumbent on the administration to clarify that the war on terrorism is not inducing barbarism of its own.

We are not living in the world of '24' or a James Bond movie. There is never going to be a situation in which the noble CIA agent knows that the red digits on the timer of the nuclear bomb are counting backwards and he has 90 minutes to determine the location and disarm the thing before Los Angeles blows up. However, if there is such a situation no law enforcement agency or court in the country will prosecute Kiefer Sutherland for saving us all by whatever means necessary, and he would have my full blessing to pull out the thumb screws and go to work. What we're talking about is torturing innocent people based on what they maybe possibly might be able to tell us. Innocent people? Yes. Last time I checked people were innocent until proven guilty, and frankly our intelligence agencies haven't exactly proven their ability to perform their stated job description, let alone assume the role of judge and jury too.