On Obama's Decision Not To Prosecute CIA Officials

There is a wide array of feelings today about yesterday's big news. Obama had no choice but to release the memos - politically speaking. He was elected as the un-Bush, and proper accounting for that administration's perceived errors is, to a degree, politically necessary. However, that anyone would be seriously disappointed that the admin isn't prosecuting the CIA rank and file who actually did the torture acts is beyond me. I think Obama has struck a political compromise that seems reasonable. Obama summed it up well in his statement, "This is a time for reflection, not retribution."

However, these issues are more difficult than they may seem at first glance. For example, can torture ever be justified? Take for example the case of top qaeda operative (and barbaric monster) Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (ksm), known as the mastermind of 9/11 as well as the individual who has claimed to have decapitated Daniel Pearl (he has a wide-ranging blood-stained resume). First, I would suggest that you read Bernard-Henri Levy's book on the Pearl incident (which compellingly disputes that ksm was the executioner, his theory is quite interesting). It's a harrowing and nauseating tale of unimaginable depravity. But to the issue, ksm was waterboarded and apparently only cooperated with officials as a result of this technique. According to officials, information that was necessary to save lives was extracted from the islamist. The question then follows, if some large number of lives could be saved as a result of getting information from someone who won't cooperate unless a certain technique (deemed torturous) is used, wouldn't the use of the technique be justified? Torture one to save a thousand?

Torture is a slippery slope, I understand. And it certainly flies in the face of our core principles as Americans, I understand this as well. But there are lots of nuances to this discussion that make careful analysis incredibly difficult. I welcome more transparency to our interrogations process, as well as a break from the tactics given the nod by the Bush admin while we consider more thoroughly the implications of such practices. But I hope that the conversation does not end here. We need further discussion of these issues.