The fetid mess of nihilism and sadism that masquerades as “conservative” morality is strutting with more than its usual vulgarity this week.  Adopting Karl Rove’s strategy of attacking your opponents strengths through incessant lying, they are saying torture helped us eliminate bin Laden. Along the way they expose themselves as moral cesspools, but are too hopped up on self-righteousness to notice.  Conor Friedersdorf over at the Atlantic gets it just about perfect.

Someone once asked me during the initial torture debate – what about the so far and probably always imaginary ‘ticking time bomb’ scenario?  I answered that in such a case someone will torture the culprit anyway – but they should then be charged with committing a very serious crime.  Their defense will be there were extenuating circumstances or, better by far, they will ask for a pardon. I would pardon them in such a hypothetical case.

The principle is too important to allow conservative and technocratic sociopaths the opportunity to nibble away at it. And now they are out in full force with their lies in an effort to justify their sadism.

UPDATE

For those who are polcy wonks or who know someone who supported torture because “it worked,” here is a report from a long time military interrogator iwho conducted over 1300 interrogartions in Iraq.  He reports that torture actually slowed down catching bin Laden.  I don’t think his testimony will matter to most on the right, for who sadism and tingles of self-righteousness count for more than getting accurate information