Torture is a moral issue. It is that simple.
Perhaps I deceive myself, but I fancy myself to be a fairly subtle guy. I see many shades of grey in life, and in politics, I am a very pragmatic. But let me stand fast here. There are no shades of grey. Pragmatism in the issue of this day must yield to idealism. Concerning the sanctioning of torture under US law, there can be no equivocation. This is not a cute political debate, jockeying for the upperhand. This is not a matter of political expediency. This is not a question of who will be the majority party in the United States Congress. This is a simple and unambiguous matter of right and wrong. It is one moment where we define ourselves and say, "This is who we are. No, this is who I am. I define who I am by how I stand on this issue." For my part, I am unambiguously opposed to torture. If I yield on this question, I am a torturer.
Let me be clear. There should be no ambiguity concerning this matter. Anyone, be she or he Republican or Democrat, who votes for torture is complicit in torture. Anyone who does not stand up foursquare against torture is a torturer. It's like that line in Scripture: either you for me or against, but you who are lukewarm, I spit you out of my mouth.
Some things move beyond political expediency. Some things define a human being as a human being. This moment is not a game. This moment defines what it means to be a moral person. We cannot condone torture. We must be willing to lose the election on this principle. We even must be willing to sacrifice our lives for this principle; it is that serious. We cannot torture even those who harm us.
What indeed does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his soul in the process? John McCain, who are you? And you, Lindsay Graham, who are you? John Warner, what kind of man are you? All of you, everyone of you, Kossack, Redstater, Democrat, Republican, Bush-lover, Bush-hater, this moment defines your humanity. Do not fail your humanity.
This moment is not politics. This is simply wrong. It must be opposed.
I ask you, how indeed shall we be safe? We shall stand against wrong no matter who perpetrates it. As Isaiah the Prophet wrote:
Justice will bring about peace; right will produce calm and security.