President Barack Obama said Wednesday night that waterboarding authorized by George W. Bush was torture, and the information obtained from suspected terrorists through its use could have been gathered in another way. President Obama admits that it may be challenging, but is "absolutely convinced" he had acted correctly in banning waterboarding, an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, and approved making public the Bush administration memos detailing its use as well as other harsh methods used on suspected terrorists. Obama has come under criticism from former Vice President Dick Cheney and other Republicans for banning waterboarding. Cheney as well as some congressional Republicans have urged Obama to release documents they say will show waterboarding was successful in obtaining information. President Obama told reporters he has reviewed the documents Cheney is referring to and stands by his decision.
President Obama's decision is ultimately justified .Terrorists are inhumane in their approach, but the United States should not behave at their level as it would merely result in hypocrisy. While obtaining information from terrorists is extremely crucial, the government should not have to resort to cruel and unusual punishment.
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Well, i thought that even the past administration had recognized at the end that waterboarding was inhumane. I remember reading a long article of how the Bush Administration had gone around the Geneva Conventions and the American Constitution(GITMO) to torture the detainees. Even McCain, a former POW himself, said the waterboarding was torture. I don't know what Cheney is doing, but he should let the current administration alone.
I agree with Obama, that the inforation obtained from waterboarding could have been gathered in another way. I don't think that torturing is a moral way to gather information. However, it is understandable that the U.S. would become eager and impatient in gathering information from a terrorist and may lead them to use torturous methods. But overall, it is truely inhumane to use torture at all.
Does anyone know what is being said about sensory deprivation? Cuz that seems to me like the kind of thing people could get off by not calling it torture.
I do support Obama for banning the use of waterboarding as not just a method of interrogation, but torture. If the Japanese and Germans have used waterboarding as a way of torture, we shouldn't really follow in their footsteps. Usually people who do this is the "bad guys," and as we all know, the bad guys always loses in the end.
Speaking of waterboarding, I wonder if Hannity is ever going to follow through with his offer to get waterboarded for charity. Olbermann calling Hannity's buff is quite....humorous.
Nelson I heard about that too! I really want to see but I haven't heard anything new about it. ANyway, I also agree with Obama because I fail to see how waterboarding terrorist can be that effective in comparison to other methods. I mean, they are terrorist and many of them are willing to die so just using brutal force and causing suffering for them just does not seem that effective in my opinion
Wow. Interesting. I think that, ethics aside, banning it was obviously a "good thing" and a good move for Obama's popularity. One more mark against Bush. But there is always controversy. Waterboarding may be inhumane, but so it what terrorists do, just on a much larger scale. We on this blog may agree that its cruel and unusual punishment, but there are plenty of people in this country who think all suspected terrorists should be tortured with whatever force is necessary. There are two sides to every argument.
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