Attitudes will change when a nuke is detonated in downtown San Francisco, probably not before.
Unlike the show "21" the nuke won't be prevented by some last second coercion. It will either be prevented, or not, by our human intelligence operations. Basically, spies, and likely in foreign countries. The fact that human intelligence lacks the lobbyists in Washington that the aerospace industry commands is worrisome. We let these capabilities lapse in the past 30-40 years and are half-assed playing marginal catch up.
I could see Hollywood style "21" torture on very specific and know targets in clear circumstances. Unfortunately, the kind antics seen in Abu Ghraib illustrate both a glaring and embarrassing failure of military discipline and, at a higher level, the total lack of appreciation for how to fight 4th generation warfare successfully. The harm these actions cost the US in support and legitimacy -- in Iraq, the Middle East and broader internationally was tremendous. From a 4th Generation warfare perspective these means do not justify 99 percent of the ends they might possibly generate. But as noted the ends tend to be limited to begin with even in 3rd generation warfare dynamics. BTW, most of those prisoners were not found to be the real deal.
On the moral and freedoms front, I would rather we not become our enemy to "feel" safe. Kinda defeats the point of America. Freedom, rights, morality -- all messy. Terrorists and other bad people can take advantage of this for sure. But, the alternative is not a country I would like to call home, anymore than I would move to Saudi Arabia, or North Korea. After all, what state is safer from terrorism today than north Korea?
Charon
