Dr. JEAN BETHKE ELSHTAIN (Professor of Social and Political Ethics, University of Chicago Divinity School and Georgetown University): Well, the underlying principle for me is what I would call an \u201cethic of responsibility.\u201d\u009d That\u2019s an ethic that is especially important when we\u2019re talking about statesmen and stateswomen who often have the lives of thousands in their hands, quite literally.<\/p>\n
ABERNETHY: So they have a different rule, a different ethic, a different moral standard than somebody would if he\u2019s just acting as an individual?<\/p>\n
Dr. ELSHTAIN: Not entirely different. We don\u2019t want a huge chasm to emerge. But I would say that there are extraordinary circumstances when harrowing judgments must be made by those we tax with the responsibility of keeping us safe, and at those times there may be a \u201clesser evil\u201d\u009d kind of calculation to be made.<\/p>\n
Dr. [SHAUN] CASEY: We have about a 60-year tradition of international law and domestic law that regulates the behavior of those who, in fact, are called to be our political leaders and there is a consistent prohibition of the use of torture. In fact, the United States has been a leading catalyst in that international movement, so I agree with that. But I think we have some rules that are in place that prohibit torture.<\/p>\n