We live in confusing times! You know? The Attorney General himself says maybe it's okay to torture people, maybe, sometimes. Before we get our drawers in a big twist about all this, let's try a thought experiment. [Harp glissandi; wavy lines]
The nuclear device detonates precisely when Al Qaeda predicted. The magnitude of the explosion is about sixteen kilotons--that is, the size of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The detonation occurs in the mid-Pacific ocean.
"We have two of these devices," Al Qaeda announces. "The other one will shortly destroy an American city."
The next day, British intelligence captures an Al Qaeda operative. Connected dots leave no doubt: He is the one who possesses the "abort" code. His file reveals that he once cracked under torture. That was 20 years ago, when his Afghan captors threatened to rape his daughter. He called their bluff, and he only capitulated after they forced him to witness the unspeakable.
The daughter is duly detained.
Your call.