I believe I said at least three times in this thread that I wasn't necessarily condemning the practice. I don't claim to know the answer to when or if it is appropriate, I see valid points on both sides. My issue is with the word games where it is claimed that causing physical discomfort to a point that Islamic terrorists crack is somehow not torture.
Yes. That is what you said, which is why, among other things I addressed the labels. I think we're probably not going to agree completely. I'm okay with them calling what they're doing, "enhanced interrogation", and though admittedly I don't know a lot about it, I'm okay with them doing at least what I think they're doing, under those circumstances. But it would have to be a completely different, way more dire circumstances for me to agree with pulling fingernails off of people. And that is why I think using different terminology is important.
In the case of both, the purpose is to get the person to divulge information they don't want to divulge. Both are interrogation techniques. Both types are immoral in most circumstances, but justifiable in progressively more dire circumstances.