I am in the anti-torture camp, but I am unhappy with one of the most common arguments I see being used against it — i.e., that the U.S. use of torture serves as a recruiting tool for Islamic extremists. This demonstrates the essential weakness of consequentialist arguments. What if the U.S. use of torture, and even the rampant commission of atrocities and war crimes, actually terrified our enemies and thus made our victory easier? Would that make these activities moral? There is no substitute for confronting the underlying ethical question.