There will likely be some media buzz about Pew’s latest poll regarding the appropriateness of using “torture” against terrorism suspects. I suspect most outlets will repeat Pew’s summary: “Public Remains Divided Over Use of Torture.” According to the nationwide survey, 49 percent of Americans think torture is “often” or “sometimes” appropriate, with 47 percent responding with “rarely” or “never.”
I think the most important finding here is that only 25 percent of respondents say torture should never be employed. That means that fully three-fourths of the public acknowledges that torture can be justified — in at least some limited circumstance — to combat terrorism.
Also notable about this poll is that Pew uses the loaded term “torture” to describe the enhanced-interrogation techniques that many people argue (persuasively, in my opinion) do not constitute torture. Replace the highly charged term “torture” with actual descriptions of the specific techniques the CIA has used, and I’d wager that public support would rise even further.