http://balkin.blogspot.com/2005/12/curious-word-honor.html

You should read this post at Balkinization–it’s brilliant. In particular, it brings to the forefront one of the largest unspoken dilemmas of modern politics and philosophy: pragmatism vs. aspiration. As John McCain is quoted in the above as saying, “It’s not about who they are; it’s about who we are.” Whether or not you think torture is permissible, how we approach the problem speaks volumes about our qualities as a nation and a culture. See my previous post for more on this.