If Maddox was able to locate Hussein without needing torture, maybe this will be the proof needed to eliminate the ineffective method from the interrogation room for good. Recent studies and commentary have argued that torture is very ineffective for obtaining reliable information.

Williams does not deserve the vilification he has received in the press. Did he deserve to be suspended? Yes. He made a mistake and deserves according punishment. But to viciously attack a man’s reputation for doing his job and doing it quite well is wrong, especially when the attack is led by a press corps that has made similar, if not worse, mistakes.

Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. These countries are connected by, among other things, their lawless regions that are breeding grounds for terrorist organizations. Al Qaeda and other groups take advantage of the lack of any governmental presence to establish bases of operations and operate unhindered.

I think growing up in the shadow of 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan darkened our generation’s political outlook. At the precise moment when we came of age politically, 9/11 presented us with a vivid lesson of evil in the world and its potential to inflict harm on our soil. The Iraq war followed by casting doubt on the ability of our government to effectively respond to terrorism, to win, or at least end, a war and to tell us the truth.

I first decided to support Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy for president after reading his 2002 speech voicing opposition to the war in Iraq.

The Gaffe Machine versus the Empty Suit. Working class Catholic versus shotgun-totin’ evangelical. Scranton versus Wasilla.