In a recent interview with Sean "The Manatee" Hannity, Dick Cheney attempted to legitimize the use of torture. He claimed that there are memos out there showing that we gained valuable intelligence from these techniques. Undoubtably there are memos out there with some scrap of intelligence that was gained. However, there are other techniques which can be used without torture. There is an implication that coercive methods helped stop a radiological plot involving Jose Padilla (the American implicated in Al Qaeda activities), but the real danger of an actual "dirty bomb" is minimal due to the short half life of most of the possible contaminants.
Also, the use of torture at Abu Gharaib has been used as a recruitment tool for terrorists and removed America from the moral high ground which has been a central component of U.S. foreign policy since Woodrow Wilson. The United States has seen itself as that "City on the Hill," a shining example of how to behave on the world stage. We view the world through a moral lens, which has often been used to justify involvement in conflicts around the globe. The United States prosecuted torture as war crimes after World War II. We agreed to the Geneva Conventions which ban the use of torture. The issue is not whether or not torture works, but really can the United States participate in this and remain a world leader. And the answer is no.
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