[Spok]

Torture is an instrument of necessity, not consensus, which waxes and wanes.
After a couple more 9/11's, everyone would support it. The problem is that the next 9/11 may look more like Hiroshima, and our government can't afford to wait.

[Wiseghy]

Nuke 9/11 is what is driving this need for flexibility on this issue. No one in the administration wants to face the consequences of not having done everything possible to stop nuke terror and the slaughter of millions. The reality of how very close we have come to this frames the administration's position, but they have, to their credit, not used this reasoning publicly, hoping that thinking people understand it anyway.

Having said that, implementing and carrying out aggressive interrogation is tricky and has major PR implications that can swing the many negative ways, as well as the basic issue of surrending the moral high ground. Condi was hinting at this. Supervised and stepped procedures and great caution should be used in applying force to the most uncooperative and high value suspects.