A Decent Start

The Obama Administration is going to release detailed descriptions of torture used against prisoners held by the United States.

This, however, is not encouraging:

Saying that it is a “time for reflection, not retribution,” Mr Obama reiterated his opposition to a extensive investigation of controversial counter-terrorism programs.

It is not "retribution" to obey the demands of justice. As I said before, the precedent of torture needs to be strongly and unequivocally condemned; the perpetrators need to suffer significant penalties, including prison terms, so that the next president who is tempted to authorize torture will blanch at the price.

Torture is so dangerous to democracy that it needs to be excised root and branch. Half-measures are like cutting out only half of a malignant tumor.