Torture and the Moral Fabric of America

AN INTERROGATOR SPEAKS

I'm Still Tortured by What I Saw in Iraq

This is one of the best writings I've seen on the issue of torture in the "War on Terror". It is written by a former interrogator who was partly responsible for the U.S. taking out Al-Zarqawi. His argument against torture goes beyond just condemning it as a practice that goes against the values and spirit of this country. He argues that it is ineffective and actually leads to the death of more Americans, especially American troops.

I couldn't agree more with his assessment of the situation. If we are ever going to "win the hearts and minds" of the people in Iraq and Afghanistan, we need to start taking the moral high ground. When Iraqis see the pictures of Korans in toilets or pyramids of their fellow countrymen (not all of whom were "terrorists") piled naked on the floor, I'm sure it doesn't warm them to our cause. We need to rethink how we treat people, both friends and enemies, if we are going to change how we project ourselves in the world. It's easy to be nice and treat people well in times of prosper and peace, but it's much more telling how we treat people during times of war and strife.