After the US Senate report on torture, the CIA is catching hell over “enhanced interrogation”. I find it surprising that still a number of apologists are eager to say that it was ok, while fudging whether they are in favor of more torture in the future; pretty much all Republican. At least McCain has spoken out. Otherwise: Shameful.

When government and spokesmen and former officials lack all sense of shame, surely this is a sign of decay of integrity. This is indeed a victory for “terrorism”. 

Much talk of whether torture was productive, that is, did it result in useful information? Expert tonight said, yes, sometimes it can result in useful information. However, that might have been obtainable without breaking all the rules. (The military, who perpetrated more of this heinousness, is not called to task just yet). Yet no one is talking about the toll on the pawns,  who carried out the abuse. Besides the damage to captives, none of whom could legally be tortured, what  of the guards and torturers, whither their consciences; what remains of their future ability to decide to act morally or not? 

More broadly, what becomes of this nation’s identity when its government has tortured captives-- in the name of its people, in order to protect them in their panic?

This issue is going to divide along ideological lines. What this means is that many are going to feel social pressure to follow a party line, to defend or decry torture based on party loyalty. What a tortured polity.