Letter to the editor, Washington Post:
Richard Cohen claims that "No one can possibly believe that America is now safer because of the new restrictions on enhanced interrogation." But Cohen, -- like other apologists for torture -- fails to realize that every abuse of a detainee acts to recruit more people to extremist groups. Those who beat and waterboarded prisoners, and those who ordered the torture, might as well have been drawing paychecks from Al Qaeda.
When we do evil, we only help the cause of those who would label America "the great Satan". Ending abuse is one of the best tools we have to stop terrorist ideology from spreading, and thus to make America safer.