A "Mortal Threat" to the World

The Obama administration has declared the Taliban's advance to within 60 miles of Islamabad, Pakistan to be a "mortal threat" to the world. Note that the Pakistanis aren't exactly mounting a robust defense to the Taliban onslaught -- they're ceding territory and politely moving out of the way.

Now this is some scary stuff. Remember, Pakistan has nukes. And if the Taliban gets hold of them, how long do you think it will be before they find their way into the hands of Al Qaeda? And how eager do you think Al Qaeda operatives might be to smuggle a bomb into the United States through a shipping container at our ports?

Real life situations like this one tend to focus the mind wonderfully on the President's high-minded denunciation of supposed "torture" by the United States. Would it really be so wrong to waterboard a terrorist detainee if doing so could obtain information that would avert a nuclear attack on, say, Manhattan?