When another 3,000 Americans are murdered because the weak-stomached politicians could not bear to do what needed to be done, I'd like to see them try soothing the families of those lost with talk of the moral high ground. You know what happens when you turn the other cheek? You get two black eyes instead of one.

Next to be banned, yelling.

Wow, this is really going to disappoint King George. Maybe he'll just authourize the use of the Rack instead!

Good news for terrorists. Bad news for the security of America.

King George, the dictator, who lets anyone and everyone insult him without taking away their freedom of speech, a dictator who wants to waterboard people and yet it has been banned. The genius who fooled all the dems into buying the "lies" for the Iraq war, who was intelligent enough to pull off 9/11, and yet is really really duuuumb.
BDS is a serious mental disorder, people.

Does that include "black site" prisons?

Ed, Your attitude is the reason Americans are hated all over the world.

When another 3000 Americans POW's are tortured by their captors I hope the weak stomached politicians will....

Enjoy.

Ed, gosh, I never thought about torture from the tough-guy perspective before...but you're absolutely right.

So why do George Bush and Michael Hayden hate America?

"And in the future, all terrorists are to be treated with the utmost respect, and served tea during questioning."

-- from the new CIA training manual

Hooray! 70 years after the Nazis declared waterboarding too inhumane for their enhanced interrogation techniques, this administration follows suit.

After he was subjected to waterboarding, KSM also took responsibility for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

About time. The use of waterboarding, while doubtless effective and less "disturbing to the conscience" than other torture techniques, has alienated much of the civilized world. It has also made rather a mockery of George Bush's speeches about "freedom and democracy" - a pretty foolish thing to do during a war that is mostly about ideas and winning hearts and minds. And apparently it was used just "five times". Glad to hear that, but five terrorists broken versus the good name of the United States sullied for a generation hardly seems like a very good deal.

By the way, I am a Canadian. I support the war in Iraq and think that in General Petraeus you may have finally found the guy who can win it. Petraeus, like John McCain and most other patriots, is against torture. Leave torture to Castro, Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il. America should stand for decency and human rights.

Did Alexis Debat consult on this story, too. Why do you go with these half-baked stories when the CIA refused to comment on it?

I'd like to see how some of the people defending waterboarding and other torture methods would respond if (or when) it happens to Americans captured by hostile forces. I'm guessing they'd be outraged, just like they were when those soldiers taken prisioner by the Iraqi Army were paraded on TV (and yet they were silent about Hussain or others being shown on US TV).

Hypocrisy, anyone?

About time. The use of waterboarding, while doubtless effective and less "disturbing to the conscience" than other torture techniques, has alienated much of the civilized world. It has also made rather a mockery of George Bush's speeches about "freedom and democracy" - a pretty foolish thing to do during a war that is mostly about ideas and winning hearts and minds. And apparently it was used just "five times". Glad to hear that, but five terrorists broken versus the good name of the United States sullied for a generation hardly seems like a very good deal.

By the way, I am a Canadian. I support the war in Iraq and think that in General Petraeus you may have finally found the guy who can win it. Petraeus, like John McCain and most other patriots, is against torture. Leave torture to Castro, Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il. America should stand for decency and human rights.

A good rule for allowed interrogation techniques would be if I wouldn't mind if they were used on my teenaged daughter or son in my presence while I was tied to a chair and could not move. Why such an unusual rule. Because once you give the government a power it's living Hell to get them to forget how to use it. The next time my or your kids gets mistaken for a bad guy they might just well recall how to "break" them.

Nothing used on so-called terrorists is off limits to use on American citizens. Just ask John Walker Lindh and Jose Padilla.

The entire upper eschelon of the Bush Administration are war criminals and need to be hauled off to the Hague along with the torturers and murderers of the CIA and U.S. military by Hillary. It would then be my hope they'd be found guilty and hanged.

You must be joking. Do you really think we are going to fall for this.

Please!

You can't fool ALL the people ALL the time Brian!

They are just outsourcing this to private contractors.

Cheney must be saddened. This was his favorite torture technique.

Lets hope Brian's scoop on this story didn't come from Alexis Debat.

Anyone who supports torturing suspects is a scumbag.

The United States can survive terrorists and terror attacks.

The United States cannot survive the introduction of torture into our culture.

JT

"Posted by: John | Sep 14, 2007 6:34:39 PM"

Hey great, it's ok to shred terrorists with gatling guns, dismember and spread their guts all over the place with bombs
but the moment somebody uses a technique that leaves no permanent damage to get a terrorist to reveal information that can be vital to saving innocent lives the "civilized world" suddenly gets alienated. This is the precise reason why we WILL lose the war on terror: our population is borderline retarded.

CIA no longer water what?Hey,Langley where's the Gimp?Oops!I'm dreadfully sorry I outed yet another state secret.This is America.The country where people have no recourse to justice because they can't prove that the "invisible government"-the 1%Doctrine that replaced 54/12-is behind the hounding and degradation that they have to endure because it serves a greater good:Hill and Bill's 3rd term and the Bush dynasty's royal ambitions.Why don't you ask your friends at the Hoover building why they don't follow through when people file complaints,knowing who is really behind some of the stunts you pull.What is Johnny Chung up to these days?How is Norman Hsu doing?There are people at Langley that know very well why this is being posted.Maybe some day Brian Ross will be knocking at your HQ?

Torture is the moral equivalent of a nuclear weapon and should be used as rarely. Torture may allow in extremely rare cases, only perhaps once a generation or century outside Hollywood, verification of actionable intelligence to prevent an horrific event. Conversely, when used with public knowledge aforethought, our reputation suffers and our enemies grow and claim righteousness.

Was torturing KSM a responsible use? Maybe, but certainly widespread use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques,' is far over the line.

Mostly people will say anything to make torture stop; the technique consists of moral garbage in, material garbage out, as strongly supported by Israeli work. The broad nature of the following claim brings into question the veracity of information obtained from KSM:

"Ultimately, KSM took responsibility for the 9/ll attacks and virtually all other al Qaeda terror strikes, including the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl."

So he says he did it all. Fine. Great. Now what about the future stuff. Remember, he will say anything to make it stop.

And God help our people, whether military, intelligence, or diplomatic, if they fall in the 'wrong' hands after our public behavior. Gitmo, Bagram, Iraq/abu-Gharaib, and the black sites have had the moral effect of the unwarranted use of atomic weapons. Everybody deplores us, and objectives have been poorly met.

The willingness of some to justify the use of government sponsored illegal torture on anyone is disappointing.

Should we not expect our leaders to honor the prisoner of war standards defined by the Geneva Convention, which we helped draft...and of which other nations can and have been held accountable for in international court?

As a nation of the people, should we not insist our government follow a couse of due process and set limits on government sponsored torture?

I believe the opinion of some who favor "preemptive aggression" and "torturing of captives" is a dangerous precept of justice within the free society we cherish.

Back when America used to have integrity, we used to hang Japanese military officers for waterboarding.

Now we are the evil Empire, so it's OK.

It's all very well to toss civilised behaviour aside in the name of security, but I wonder how many supporters of waterboarding torture would keep supporting it if the Iraqi resistance or the Taliban captured US troops and sent videos of them being waterboarded to death to Al Jazeera or even to the White House? You think it's OK to torture people like this, but let's see how many of you could sit back and watch your own people being waterboarded, locked in rooms and alternately frozen and roasted, deprived of sleep for weeks on end and all those other lovely games that the Americans like to play in contravention of the Geneva Conventions and all the other treaties they deliberately break. Like everything the Americans do, this will come back to bite them. If the USA uses torture, then it can be expected that its own people will be tortured in the same way by its enemies. When the USA starts receiving the bodies of its own soldiers drowned by waterboarding, it will not have a leg to stand on in the way of complaint.

So, Dead Pirate, are you talking about the same nazi's that herded human beings in to gas chambers to kill them? At least those who had not yet starved to death? I don't think those are the folks we should be taking moral lessons from.

Does this ban include the out of country places we end up sending the terrorist suspects as well? ... right... I didn't think so...

Hey Ed, tell to Jesus Christ (who I would bet the farm you proclaim to believe in) ... he would tell you that by turning the other cheek you would at least walk away with some since of dignity.

Yep, its true, Cheney is on record publicly supporting this tactic ... a favorite method of those old-fashioned, Christian, freedom loving people, the Gestapo.

Hi,
How many times have we heard Pres Bush say "the United States does not torture."
Perhaps he doesn't think that waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" are torture!
I thought he exempted the CIA from the ban on torture??
Why did he exempt them? Are they not also Americans? Perhaps the CIA has foreigners actually do the torture so taht they can say the United States does not torture. Would General Hayden care to comment on this?
Who would have thunk only ten years ago that we would be debating this!

I don't believe Hayden. It is his business to lie when it satisfies the ends.

As to the comment about Bush being called stupid, yet being credited for pulling off 911...

Bush has limited mental capacity. Some say it is a result of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Dick Cheney is the evil brain who likely was directly involved in perpetrating 911. Bush was just brought along for the ride, and told exactly what to say. Bush is the front man. Cheney is the wizard of evil.

They should both be impeached and prosecuted for their crimes.

I am sure the Bush would tell us that they really don't do much more than noogies, wedgies, and indian rub burns if could and get away with it!

Torture is torture and unnecessary in the modern world the intelligent nations should have learned that the information gotten is unreliable or contaminated and the come backs are with out question beyond the risks. There are more sophisticated methods by trained individuals that lead to truth gathering information over a short period of time, but that depends on the intelligent nation theory, and the ability to verity facts.

“Those who would sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither.”
-Benjamin Franklin

If you think Our Country stands for torture, stand up for your beliefs and put sensory deprivation hood and gloves on the Statue of Liberty.

Bush and his neo-cons have tarnished Our Country long enough. Just ask the CIA.

Its better to ban it, then go ahead and do it. It will make it more difficult for them to beat it if they do not think its coming.

Well, would you listen to that?

"King George, the dictator, who lets anyone and everyone insult him without taking away their freedom of speech"

-MehMeh

Well, MehMeh, NO president LETS me speak. The United States Constitution does. Funny you would say that, though, to prove YOUR "president" is not a king. My entire family is laughing at you.

We not only need to torture these terrorists, we need to hang them up or shoot them in the head for the world to see what we do to people that kill Americans. Only then will they realize that we mean business.

I've always said "If we are going to BE Americans, then let's act LIKE Americans!" We cannot sink to the depths of evil by using torture. IT DOESN'T WORK. Sure, you will get the occasional confessor but the majority of people will tell you whatever you want to hear. And honestly, there is NO WAY to know that we are not currently doing far worse things to prisoners, regardless how evil they may be, because it is all in secret. Loving my Constitution means more to me than any information gained from torture.

They don't even describe waterboarding honestly. If it's just about "pouring" water over someone's head, where does the board come in? They STRAP someone to a board and tip them over backwards in a tub of water. So maybe they don't pour water over someone's head any more...that's not even "Waterboarding".
And Ed, it DOESN"T WORK. People lie to get you to stop. It's revenge, and not
effective at all.

What a bunch of liberal crybabies are posting here! Let's all join hands and sing songs of peace to the terrorists who want to kill every American man, woman and child. We certainly mustn't cause them any trouble at all or inconvenience them, or heaven forbid, pour water on their heads.
After all, according to you idiots, the real bad guys are American Christians, not Islamist fundamentalists. That danged George Bush, why he's worse than bin Laden. My gosh, he doesn't believe in giving sworn enemies of the American people $50.00 and a free pass to Disneyland. How awful. Too bad there isn't a cure or at least some kind of treatment for all you sick liberals. You need it.

Look, people, get real. We use torture because torture works. I know it works because I saw it work on 24.

Now we just need to arrest all the CIA agents who have tortured people, put them on trial, find them guilty, and exectute them.

Then we've got to allow for the fact that we will NOT know every attack that is coming our way...and that people are going to die because of it. We're fighting a war by playing by some set of rules against an enemy that doesn't go by any rules. It is obviously easier and cheaper to avoid having to house alQaeda at Gitmo or anywhere else...and we won't listen to anybody's phone conversations, etc. - We just have to then deal with attacks happening once in a while and get over it. If that's ok with everybody, then I'm all for it as well.

Think of it...All of Gitmo full of detainees with hoods, handcuffs, chains..Iraqis caught by Americans, turned over to Americans by competing sects.....denied visitors, communication, attorneys, tortured.

Iraqi...who did not have the WMD, could not produce them, had disarmed as per sanctions and Un directives, could not defend themselves... falsly accused of being terrorists responsible for 9/11.

A special place in ell waits for the liars.

What asses you republicans are. The U.S. is a country that has taken pride in our integrity and decency. With Bush and Cheney everything has been thrown out and we are supposed to be the ruthless thugs and torturers. That is not what most of us want from our leaders. You people should think about how much you would like to be water boarded and tortured and then be found to be innocent. Fools are fools are fools.

well, there goes our moral advantage, along with the special intel. we're really screwed now.

"CIA Bans Water-Boarding in Terror Interrogations"

This is IMPOSSIBLE!!! How could the CIA ban water-boarding when the CIA wasn't using water-boarding? This must be a commie leftist liberal Demon-o-crat fake story to give comfort to the enemy.

Torture is an excellent way to get false confessions.

im a proud scumbag!!!!!!!!!!! i support torture if its going to save innocent lives and catch the bad guys.

After WWII Japanese officers were tried and given long sentences of hard labor for what?

Waterboarding

By who?

The United States

_Any_ of the so called "enhanced interrogation techniques" are a violation of the Geneva Convention.

They should have Waterboarded Sandy Berger to find out the REAL Story.

Decency lol?
60 Minutes-Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?
05/12/1996 Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it

Geez look at all the whiny little crybabies that crawled out from under their rocks for this one.

Waterboarding is torture? Since when?

Before you start whining about torture show me someone with their ears cut off, their eyes put out, their fingernails ripped out. Show me someone who has had the skin slowly peeled off of their limbs. Show me someone who has had their joints crushed. Their fingers burned off with a blowtorch. Show me someone who has had the flesh boiled off of their feet. Someone who has been scourged. Someone who has been coated with honey and left for the bugs to eat. Show me anything that involves destuction of the body and results in agonizing pain.

Do NOT show me some terrorist who was made to think he was drowning for a minute and a half and who broke down and spilled his pathetic little guts and attempt to tell me that he was tortured.

Because then you lose all credibility.

TORTURE DOESN'T PROVIDE ACCURATE INFORMATION

THE US SHOULD BE ABOVE TORTURE

No wonder the world hates our guts, we say we don't torture and then we turn around and do it.

How embarrassing, and how scum-like.

America tortures people, that is a surprise. I thought America usually used proxy states to do their work for them. You know Egypt Uzbekistan Poland Czech Republic.

However by admitting everything after being tortured Sheikh Khali mohammed has called into question the trial of at least one alleged terrorist who said he chopped off Pearls head.

How many terrorists are running around because those who were tortured hve taken the rap?

Wow, We are really close to the bottom to endorse torture for any reason. To speak of banning one technique is missing the bigger point - torture results can't be trusted at all, and especially if the prisoner is completely innocent! They will say anything to get the torture to stop. That includes making stuff up! That info is often used to dig a deeper hole for the USA. e.g., the false atomic bomb plot info that was extracted and then acted upon as if it was accurate. It was a completely made up confession to stop the torture (and even welcome a more humane death). Our military invasion actions based on that false info has damaged us on many levels: morally here at home, taken the lives and (minds) of our (young) troups and our world reputation. The lie that torture works (and provides reliable intel) gives the green light for more of the same. All this to impose our fiat money-for-oil will on other contries. This last decade was the beginning of the dark ages for the USA. Save us from this madness - Elect Ron Paul.

Finally a move in the right direction. Historically the use of torture has never been shown to have provided any useful information. As a former member of the intel community I would agree. It results in poor information, misinformation, and just plain bogus info. In the 1980's our proxy forces in Central America used it often and I never saw anything good come out of it other than increased hatred towards the U.S. Torture creates more terrorists and insurgents. It is a bad idea. The people who are posting all the crap about weakening our intel have never been in the Intel community and have never seen the real result of torture. All a bunch of arm-chair warriors.

It always amazes me how there can be rules for torture and warfare...but we always fall short of banning both...so why bother with rules you'll never be sure were adhered to ? I guess it looks better as a nation....so just keep my family safe...I really don't care.

The real torture is hearing these armchair tough guys defending it. I'll be most of them have trouble killing a spider that is scaring their daughter. Losers. Granted, if there was any credence to the idea that torture actually worked, there might at least be an intellectual argument about it. But it's more an issue of self-righteous weaklings wanted to feel important and dominant, when in fact, they are probably ineffective, boring, lockstep suburban geeks.

So if Khalid Sheik Mohammed confessed to all these crimes, whens his trial start? Oh, thats right, evidence brought by torture is inadmissable and grounds for dismissal, so he will NEVER be brought to justice like the cleric who masterminded the first World Trade Center bombing and is serving a life sentence.

I don't understand the comments of the first two posters here - Ed and travis - and those like them, who seem to be operating purely on a primitive emotional level. It used to be that America was trying to set a better standard for the world, a benchmark for goodness and respect for human dignity that the world would look to. These posters are on the side of the terrorists when they advocate stooping to the level of the terrorists in our tactics. By the way, KSM's confessions are - if true, which many are not - an exception to the rule. Most career interrogators concur that torture lessens the reliability of confessions, because people say what they want you to hear, rather than what is true. We should be better and smarter than that. We don't need to stoop to the level of the terrorists to win.

I have no problems with waterboarding. If we gain any little bit of intelligence through this process, I am all for it. These people aren't maimed. They don't lose the use of their eyes or limbs. Their heart may jump a little if they ever go near a pool, but oh well. Sometimes confessions are lies, whether it's through waterboarding or other interrogation techniques. Any decent intel collection asset is going to seek corroborating info prior to saying that what Ahmed said while being waterboarded is the 100% honest-to-god truth. That's just common freaking sense. A congressman whose name I can't recall at the moment once said something to the effect of "If hooking a prisoner's testicles up to a battery is going to save just one American life, I only have two things to say - Red is positive and black is negative." I agree with that 100%.

Here's what I want to know from FindLiberty and other Ron Paul advocates. When he does not get the nomination, which he won't because the rest of the Republican Party and their followers are INSANE and DANGEROUS ... will you hold your nose and vote for Hillary like we Kucinich, Dodd or Edwards Democrats will? Or will you stay home, or what? I really believe that thinking people on both sides of the aisle must admit we need a major cleanup of a government out of control and a restoring of habeus corpus, etc. At least a change of party means a certain sweeping out of entrenched corruption. Your thoughts?

Liberalism is a mental disorder!!! If this exchange does not prove it, I do not know what does!!

Wow, there are a lot of liberal nut jobs posting.
Torture?
Place underwear on someone’s head or pour water on them, it is not torture.
Let’s not forget they are terrorists. I think the liberals need to learn what torture is. If pouring water on terrorists head saves 1 American life it’s worth it.

I think it's clear the CIA should pick up Ed and apply some of the now admittedly weakened "enhanced interrogation techniques" on him. He clearly seems to have some valuable information about imminent American murders, and you know, you just can't be too careful these days. THAT'S what support for torture means, after all.

As an American; I would rather die, from a terrorist attack as a free man, rather than live in a state of fear and loss of my freedom. live free or die as the saying goes is all American. allowing rendition or water boarding is a threat to my consitution and that I can NEVER allow. So if you think The the bush admistration is on que, then you too; are hoplessly, lost in the Meaning of AMERICA

Not saying what he did or didn't do, I bet mr. KSM admitted to everything and anything to make those responsible for torturing him stop the torture.

ABC reports "A senior CIA official said KSM later admitted it was only because of the water-boarding that he talked.

Ultimately, KSM took responsibility for the 9/ll attacks and virtually all other al Qaeda terror strikes, including the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl."

For authorizing the CIA to use these so called advanced interrogation techniques King George of Carlyle is obviously guilty of "Crimes Against Humanity."

In all fairness this Constitution, domestic law, international law and Geneva Convention breaking President should meet the same demise as other lawless leaders like Slobadan Melosivich have for their criminal and war crimes.

America must prosecute Bush and Cheney in order to regain our integrity and moral standing previously appreciated.

But if we don't violate the Geneva Conventions and torture people we think might be terrorists, then how can we protect our freedoms.

Consider this hypothetical scenario:

Suppose the US government had their act together and had got their hands on Muhammed Atta before 9/11 but he refused under questioning to give the names and locations of his co-hijackers or which flights they intended to hijack? Are you suggesting that the application of high voltage cables to his testicles or pulling a few of his teeth out with a pair of pliers to make him sing would be unjustified?

In a "ticking bomb" scenario it is extremely irresponsible & childish not to use a very effective interrogation tool like waterboarding in he hands interrogation experts. One can see this childishness in Sen. McCain who argues against torture like a ten year old saying that it would encourage our enemies to use it on us – as if our enemies don’t already mutilate & kill for information without hesitation. Some people cannot endure to leave childhood!

Gogi wrote, "I have no problems with waterboarding. If we gain any little bit of intelligence through this process, I am all for it."

Why is it that every time an article about subjects such as "waterboarding" which does not harm the subject in any way, and is very effective, all the KOOKs come out in droves?

Apparently, few of those making comments read the other article on ABCNews about "waterboarding" which contains the following:

"Then [After waterboarding for two minutes] he [Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 9/11 operation ]started talking, and he never stopped," this former officer said. KSM was never water-boarded again, and in hours and hours of conversation with his interrogators, often over a cup of tea, he poured out his soul and the murderous deeds he committed.

Well it worked, so lets stop it - that may make sense to you KOOKs but my grandchildren mean more to me than the comfort of some Islamic terrorist bent on klling them.

I'm ashamed that my country has resorted to torture and sad that so many people can't see what we've become. Our children want and need parents with courage who will take great risks for worthy ends, not cowards who will do anything to save themselves or their kids or even just their lifestyles.

Continue eviscerating our defense agencies, and you will get what you deserve. Jimmy the peanut farmer did it and now asks "How come the CIA did not stop 9/11?" Because you cut their budget, humiliated their best people, and allowed churchladies define their procedures. Duh!