Reply #47: The correct answer is "NO, We Don't"

[alcibiades_mystery]

Because a principle of a nation is always more important than any one private loss of a citizen.

Of course, this answer would tend to get you into the Dukakis trap, which is what Dietl is rehashing here ("What if your wife was raped and murdered?" etc.), but the answer is very clear: No. What if the President was kidnapped, huh? No. How about your wife, Mr. President? No. We do not torture, period. It could be spun on their own absolutes: they say we NEVER negotiate with terrorists. So, what if Bo Dietl's wife was kidnapped by terrorists? Should we negotiate then? How about Barbara Bush? Should we negotiate then? How about Sasha and Malia? No, we don't negotiate with terrorists. So, if we can draw an absolute around that answer, why wouldn't we be able to draw an absolute around the No Torture answer?

The response should have been: What if we didn't have anybody to torture information out of, but we could negotiate for their release. Should we negotiate? If Dietl answers in the negative, then the same applies to to torture. Values are values, after all.