At the same time, we have to be respectful of those who were in that Sept. 11 frame of mind, who thought they were saving lives -- and maybe were -- and who, in any case, were doing what the nation and its leaders wanted.

So should we be respectful of anyone in that Sept. 11 frame of mind. isn't that going for a temporary insanity defence?  How long does temporary insanity last for a nation?

 The idea that they thought they were saving lives however has some weaknesses. At some point up the chain of command, someone should have read the apropriate research on torture, and found that all the work suggests that in discovering information it is the worst route to take. If someone didn't bring this to the leaderships notice then this is a systemic failure. If someone did then it's  a failure of Leadership.

If It is what the nation wanted, then somewhere there has been a severe failure of Education.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.