Sometimes I find an article that captures my interest, but I don't have the time to blog about it. I'll e-mail the contender to myself, then revisit it when I'm able.
This piece by Alan Dershowitz on torture addresses an issue of importance for any time. Today, however, it carrys a special significance.
Dershowitz believes that circumstances can be such where torture is justified. I do not agree.
Nevertheless, questions about torture need to be discussed, weighed, evaluated and judged. And that the current administration goes through this exercise should be applauded - not denounced. On this point, Dershowitz and I are in harmony.
We need an open and candid debate, as Israel had, about what forms of rough interrogation, if any, should be permissible against what kinds of detainees under what circumstances. Specificity is required. Broad generalizations like "this administration opposes torture" have not worked and will not work in the future. A proposed interrogation code would be a good starting point.
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