Tortured logic

This Michael Kinsely article is well worth a read – he takes on the proverbial “ticking timebomb” argument for allowing torture under some circumstances, especially as propounded by Charles Krauthammer.

Meanwhile, Jim Henley points out that the logic used to justify torture and the logic used to justify the war in Iraq are curiously similar. And Matthew Yglesias says that, pass what laws you will, you still need people in power who are committed to refraining from torture; otherwise, they’ll find ways to circumvent the rules.