LOS ANGELES — There are times when — from a moral standpoint — men and women simply should not remain silent. In such times, seemingly fine lines need to be turned into unequivocal hard lines. This is when the men and women of conscience stand out.
Consider the controversy about torture (the universally recognized term for extreme interrogation techniques) that is bedeviling America. It may be hard to believe, but only one serious presidential candidate so far has been outspoken about the need for the U.S. never to use torture.
That's right, just one major candidate: The truth is, the U.S. presidential primary campaign is now a study in fuzzy lines. At a time when real potential leaders ought to be standing up, by and large they are falling all over themselves in an attempt to avoid taking firm policy lines that might alienate, oh, maybe 15 potential primary voters.