My first blog entry at the Xenia Institute, this post explores the questions surrounding the questions of torture.  Are we allowing the debate over accountability obscure the fact that at the end of the day we’re still talking about torture?

The question of the use of torture in the U.S. carries both short- and long-term implications for the policies, relationships and even the cultural fabric of our country.  As of late, however, the issue seems to have become a hot potato that’s being tossed back and forth between competing political interests.  Instead of focusing on questions of relevance, such as “Does torture actually produce actionable intelligence?” or “Under what circumstances (if any) does torture carry ethical cache?”, the news has become littered with the question of who knew what, and when.  But is this the discourse we really want?

While questions of accountability are important in maintaining (or re-establishing) the credibility in government, I fear we have become distracted from the greater moral question facing us: What is torture and are we willing to condone it?

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