A BALANCED VIEW – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  The American people are reacting to the Senate Democratic report on the CIA.  As usual, the people are wiser than the politicians, especially the ideological Democratic politicians.  They see the issues as nuanced.  From Andrew Malcolm at IBD:

For days now Americans have heard graphic details of intense CIA interrogation tactics imposed on a handful of captured terrorists years ago and deemed torture by the media and Democrats on Dianne Feinstein's oddly-named Senate Intelligence Committee.

The goal, of course, in those early post-9/11 attack days when almost 3,000 had just died was to encourage these fellows to divulge details about other plots and plotters planning further expected attacks on the homeland.

The rough methods included exposure to sleep deprivation, terrible music, cold temperatures and water-boarding similar to that imposed on U.S. Special Forces candidates. Democrats and sympathizers who do not see the country in an undeclared war with terrorism profess profound shock at such ruthless methods against helpless prisoners by a Republican administration.

It turns out, however, that about half of Americans, who've been witnessing bomb attacks and barbaric beheadings, are just fine with the nasty CIA questioning and see real value in preventing future losses of American lives in unprovoked and unanticipated attacks.

Rasmussen Reports this week surveyed 1,000 likely voters and found that 49% agreed with both Republican and Democrat former intelligence chiefs that such questioning produced valuable information that protected the country. (That information detailed in an IBD editorial here.)

A similar percentage (47%) believe such aggressive interrogation methods should be used against these captives. Thirty-three percent were opposed while 20% claimed to be unsure.

Forty-nine percent of Democrats oppose enhanced interrogation. But those types evenly divide on whether the information gathered is valuable regardless.

Among Republicans and independents, the lines are clear. A majority of GOP members (64%) and a plurality of independents (48%) are good with water-boarding etc.

While 69% of Republicans and 46% of unaffiliateds believe valuable intel comes from them. The more that respondents have followed the Feinstein report and its torture allegations, the more value they see in such severe interrogations.

These new findings match similar recent polls showing Americans listing concern with terrorism and attacks among their top concerns, prompting a belief "that preventing a terrorist attack is more important than protecting Americans’ privacy right now."

COMMENT:  No civilized person likes rough interrogation techniques.  But I find it fascinating that some of the same people who tut-tut these techniques were indifferent to the horror inflicted by Saddam Hussein, and opposed our entry into Iraq.  The hypocrisy flows.

There were probably excesses in the CIA program, and any program involving unusual techniques must be closely monitored.  But the prevention of the murder of Americans was the highest priority, and we have avoided another 9-11.  The waters of cause-and-effect are murky.  However, while we should always act in as noble a manner a possible, nobility does not include the sacrifice of American children.

December 12,  2014