‘24’ agent Bauer makes the only case for torture

If antiterrorism point man Jack Bauer was really hunting down Osama bin Laden and his treacherous ilk for the U.S. government, we all could sleep easier at night. As portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland on the Fox drama “24,” agent Bauer is now pulling his fourth round-the-clock shift at the FBI’s Counter Terrorist Unit to save the nation from yet another dire threat.
This time out, Bauer’s racing to prevent the meltdown of several nuclear power plants. On past missions, he has thwarted attempts to assassinate the president, unleash a plague and detonate a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. In essence, this is the first TV series to evolve from role-playing video games like “Syphon Filter” and “Max Payne.” If you’ve ever spent an adrenaline-drenched night in front of a computer blasting your way to the next cliffhanger, consider tuning in Monday nights at 9.
The show’s basic structure – each season pits Bauer against a cataclysmic terrorist plot that takes exactly 24 hours to defeat – requires a significant suspension of disbelief. But it’s easier to buy into four all-nighters for Bauer than it is to believe the characters in “Sex and the City” could afford their fabulous Manhattan apartments.
It’s harder for some viewers to accept how Bauer regularly resorts to torture as the clock ticks toward tragedy, however. Here in the real world, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faces lawsuits for his alleged complicity in the torture of prisoners. A federal judge just ruled President Bush has no legal authority to indefinitely confine U.S. citizens without charges. And Newsweek has reported on a CIA flight service that might have delivered investigative targets to allies willing to torture suspects on our behalf.
As a civil libertarian, I believe such practices run counter to everything we stand for. The Abu Ghraib torture scandal sickens me, as do stories of CIA “ghost” detainees being interrogated to death. Bottom line: You can’t protect a nation’s values by destroying them. Besides, we endanger U.S. troops every time we engage in these despicable acts by giving our enemies ammunition to say, “You torture, so why can’t we?”
Why, then, do I pump my fist whenever Bauer shoots a defiant terrorist in the leg? Why do I believe Bauer’s acts of torture are both necessary and justifiable?
For one thing, Bauer is perhaps the most thrillingly competent, deeply patriotic American agent ever depicted in fiction. He tortures for the right reasons, and only when he must. Unfortunately, reality isn’t that black and white. That’s why our government used to strongly condemn torture instead of commissioning bizarre legal opinions from the Justice Department defending the practice.
But there’s another reason I don’t feel guilty about cheering on agent Bauer as he uses live wires from a hotel lamp to shock a suspect: He’s acting under extremely exigent circumstances. If he doesn’t get that address in the next minute, a reactor core might explode and kill millions. Murder’s illegal, but if a rapist bursts into your bedroom, you’re allowed to shoot him. Similarly, the cops can break down the front door without a warrant if they hear someone screaming inside your house.
If U.S. agents employ torture to obtain information they need to stop an imminent attack – after exhausting all other avenues of investigation – that’s justifiable. But a few reckless cowboys in our government don’t seem to view torture as the desperate last resort it always should be. It’s too bad we can’t trade those bad actors for a real-life Jack Bauer.