On torture

Last week we learned in dismay that two American soldiers had been kidnapped by the insurgency at a security checkpoint in Iraq. It is the first time the insurgency has succeeded in kidnapping American troops. It is a scary situation. Why? As this war drags on, so does our military and ideological confidence (this is as much a military as an ideological war). Since this administration has been accused of torture, and as we continue to knock on doors of countries were it is legal and acceptable (outsourcing torture), we have exacerbated this issue to the point of no return.

Before we were accused of torturing enemy combatants, we could protest the abuse of our soldiers and contractors in captivity and be supported by our allies. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. Thanks to the Bush-Cheney torture policy, our two soldiers have no considerable protection and we have no justification to evoke the Geneva Convention, after it has been chewed up by this administration. This is why torture is always wrong, no matter the circumstances. Generations of American troops have cemented the idea that torture was unthinkable. No longer. This is just one of the many things gone wrong on this war.