Your answer completely ignores my original comment, which I will repeat here:
No one is suggesting the gov’t be given the power to do this (waterboarding) to American citizens, or even someone considered an EPW under Geneva. It wasn’t even routinely done to terrorists.
Then we get into the whole “torture is a binary thing” discussion that has been beat to death. I don’t see something that someone will do on a bet, something that we do in SERE training to our own aircrew and others, as “torture”. You do. We disagree on that. So be it.
You trying to make it look as if I approve doing this to American citizens, using long-winded philosophical quotes, is disingenuous at best.
That is not true. See for example here:
The top legal adviser within the US state department, who counsels the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, on international law, has declined to rule out the use of the interrogation technique known as waterboarding even if it were applied by foreign intelligence services on US citizens.
Again, I don't share your faith that the power of ehanced interrogation, even if "officially" restricted in the ways you state can be limited once unleashed. Power-hungry polticians have a strange way, as the "long-winded" Acton notes, of evading such restrictions. You keep ignoring this point, but it is crucial.
Certainly, we already have evidence that political leaders will ignore the rights of American citizens. We know, for example, that illegal "enhanced interrogation technigues" such as sleep deprivation, stress positions, etc. (though apparently not waterboarding) were used on Jose Padilla, an American citizen. We also know that Bush admininistration tried to deny Padilla the most ancient right now ejoyed by American citizens, habeas corpus.
Let's assume you are right and a miracle occurs and Obama does not overstep the power you want to give him to torture a class of non-citizens who he deems (by his own whim?) terrorists, torture is still torture. It has no place especially the hands of the president of a contry that was founded on the universal human rights as stated in the Declaration of Independence which (please note) does not specify these rights are limited to citizen.
Again, let me repeat my question for the umteenth time: why do you trust Obama not to abuse this power?