“Waterboarding is torture.”
No it isn’t; not by any standard. It is even applied to our own CIA and military special forces personnel as part of their training.
It is affective because the person it is being applied against believes they are being tortured (fear of drowning), while the fear they think is taking place (drowning) is, in fact NOT taking place.
It is a mind game executed by physical means. It has no lasting physical side affects and the only mental side affect is the knowledge that one does not want to have
that experience again.
You guys are so busy undefining torture that you miss the larger point, so I’ll state it again.
“We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
It was torture. It was used on KSM. It saved American lives.
Good. So what.