Torture: immoral, and as it turns out, ineffective

A nice story on the best understanding of the effectiveness of torture. The interview is with an expert who deals with torture victims.

Harsh interrogation definitely yields names and other information, Johnson agreed. "It works," he said.

But the information confessed is utterly unreliable, he said, and it can lead investigators in the wrong direction, endangering U.S. military forces and threatening national security.

In a panic to stop tough interrogation, many will spit out any name that comes to mind — innocent neighbors, cousins and friends — Johnson said.

In other words, torture gets people to spill the beans. Whatever beans will get their torturer to stop... For an administration of yes men, I guess that's why torture works out well.

You can read more on the story at the above link or check out the full (pdf) report.