I can envision extreme situations where I might be pushed to torture someone- they fall into the "ticking bomb" category. The fact that there are some situations where I can envision doing it does NOT mean that the government should let it become their policy.

Any soldier in the field that engages in torture should do so with the knowledge that they are crossing a line- they are committing a war crime, they are giving up the protections they had under the law- they cannot claim to be just following orders.

The torturer should accept that he will be judged by whatever court has jurisdiction- so by engaging in torture he must believe that the information gained is worth not just the life of the victim, but his own life as well.