Torture is perhaps the most useless method of extracting information from an enemy. Most people, when subjected to intense pain, will tell you anything to make it stop. Religious nutz especially do not care what happens to their physical body, so damaging it or cutting things off won't matter.

It also belittles us to the level of the enemy. When we stoop to using the same tactics, such as torture, we are no better than they are. People don't like to hear that, and they usually lash back vehemently, demanding it's necessary. Save the self-righteous rhetoric for Sunday.

There are many wonderful things you can accomplish through the calculated use of chemistry or psychology to get the information you need. And it would help to maintain this illusion that we are civilized. When Bush says "We do not torture" be sure to get a detailed definition of what torture means to him.