Is it okay to torture?

'A true American patriot should say it's okay to torture people to make the statement that torturing people is wrong.' This statement (not the exact words) was made by Dick Cheney.

Do you agree? And are you willing to say why you agree? In public? Shouldn't America lead the world to see how a true democracy works in the free world? Where people don't have to be afraid they can get accidentally tortured because their name looks like the name of a possible terrorist?

And what of the freedom of speech? Why doesn't that apply to whistleblowers? You tell me.