I know I don't usually get political here, but this is interesting.

So, you know the old O'Reilly-esque claim that liberals who oppose "enhanced interrogation techniques" and want to treat captured enemies as human beings are too soft on terrorists and just want to respect their barbaric beliefs and give them love and cookies?

Guess what. The cookies work.

( Cut for sugar-free freedom. )

This is pretty basic psychology. You fulfill a person's worst expectations about you and force them to fear and loathe you, you'll get anything they think you want to hear and it'll just be more fuel for your enemies to depict you as a monstrous, threatening foe. You defy their expectations by treating them like actual human beings, they'll open up to you and you'll get something useful without betraying your country's moral standards. If Megatron had just given Bumblebee energon goodies, the Decepticons would totally have the Allspark by now.