Good Soldier Powell Says Torture Sends the Wrong Message (Duh)

Given the pathetic fairy tale he spun to the United Nations about WMDs in Iraq, it's astounding that anyone pays any attention to anything Colin Powell has to say. But, apparently, some still do, preferring to think of him as the Good Soldier duped by the Evil President rather than a moron or a self-serving politician.
This morning, Good Soldier Powell was invited to speak on NBC's "Meet the Press," and decided to weigh in on the torture issue--albeit, as the blog And, yes, I DO take it personally (from which I learned this--hat tip!) noted, kinda late. GSP argued that Gitmo should be closed and that prisoners relocated to the United States and placed under federal jurisdiction. "[W]e have shaken the belief that the world had in America's justice system by keeping a place like Guantanamo open...We don't need it, and it's causing us far more damage than any good we get for it."
The final sentence is the heart of GSP's objection to unlawful detention, selective habeas corpus, and enhanced interrogation: they're bad PR, major problems for the American image.
Okay. Granted. But are there any other reasons to close down Gitmo? Like, it's an ethical abomination? Immoral? Wrong? Ungodly? Is the only criterion utility? If the US could torture human rights without getting caught, would GSP be playing the alarmed elder statesman on "Meet the Press"? Or would he sit tight and stay silent?
I dunno. But his remarks sound pretty familiar, because most of the the nation's leaders decrying Gitmo and everything it stands for are studiously avoiding moral or religious objections, and focusing instead on policy ones. It's as if they have a blindspot when it comes to old-fashioned decency. And it's shameful.
torture, human rights, terrorism