[New001]

What makes you believe that torturing "a captured terrorist that knows every detail of a coming attack" will give you the right information? First, discount all of the publicized issues of torture not working well at all, as well as documented instances in recent history where tortured people gave incorrect information. Now that we've got that out of the way, you now have the option of torturing someone who may be willing to even blow himself up for what he believes in. So, you've captured this terrorist who knows where a bomb is, and you're going to pull his fingernails off until he cracks? You'll need to do some convincing before I'll believe it'll work.

Now, assume the United States starts sanctioning torture. I would hazard a guess that, in a war against an extremist ideology that seems to hate us with a passion, torturing them wouldn't do much to help our cause. Also, it gives us zero right to criticise or do anything against another nation or group who tortures American citizens (think our soldiers overseas).

Torture is terrible. From every single account I've heard, it doesn't work in achieving what it's supposed to, and it opposes so much of what this country has historically stood for.