Is Torture Ever Permissible?

Kevin Carson submits A Modest Proposal:

"Upon certifying to the President its finding that a substantial likelihood or reasonable suspicion exists that a member of his Cabinet or personal staff is a lying bastard, or that his or her testimony is an utter pile of horseshit, Congress shall be authorized to insert sanitized needles under his or her fingernails, or to resort to whatever other coercive measures it finds necessary, to extract the truth. Of course, this still prohibits rendition of Ms. Rice to a jurisdiction beyond U.S. oversight and accountability, and would require compensation upon any finding that she had been, despite all expectations, telling the truth."

Given the likelihood that the White House is preparing an invasion of another sovereign nation (Iran or Syria), and the potential civilian death toll such an invasion would incur, I should think the whole Bush administration should be careful about what constitues legitimate grounds for torture. I mean, would it be OK to torture someone if it meant saving thousands of lives? Gosh, what do YOU think?!?