We Defeat Ourselves

Implicit in CIA Director Panetta’s statement that the “disclosure of explicit details of specific interrogations” would be “propaganda [that al-Qaeda] could use to recruit and raise funds” and would be “ready-made ammunition” for the organization’s cause is acknowledgment that the U.S. has not been acting in its own best interest.

The debate over whether or not “harsh interrogation techniques” are okay is over, and the victors are those of us who willingly sacrifice torture’s (ever-so-slightly potential) benefits in the name of not becoming terrorists ourselves.

Not only can we claim (an albeit simple-minded) moral and ethical (I use both terms because I don’t know the difference) higher ground, we also now know–the CIA’s even said it–that doing bad things to people makes us less safe.