Cheney admits to torture

[Sal Atticum]

A little background first.  The issue here is waterboarding, a form of torture where the victim is strapped to an inclined board, head down, and water poured over their face.  The victim starts to drown, and begs for the 'interrogator' to stop.  (see attached image).

In this interview with Vice President Cheney, he admits that the acceptability of waterboarding is "a no-brainer," to paraphrase Rob Helpychalk. 

Q Would you agree a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?

THE VICE PRESIDENT: It's a no-brainer for me, but for a while there, I was criticized as being the Vice President "for torture." We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in. We live up to our obligations in international treaties that we're party to and so forth. But the fact is, you can have a fairly robust interrogation program without torture, and we need to be able to do that.

Where is the outrage?  Does everybody in the world find this acceptable?  That he should admit that US forces are torturing prisoners is one thing, but for US citizens to let such a statement pass by is almost even more heinous an act.

The attached image is from here.

[red hibiscus]

This is what bothers me the most, aside from it being completely inhumane...

"Some intelligence professionals argue that it (torture) often provides false or misleading information because many subjects will tell their interrogators what they think they want to hear to make the water-boarding stop."

So, we're torturing people and possibly getting false information? Brilliant.

[Red]

What is there to be outraged about?  At no point in the answer does the Vice President say that this method of interrogation, or any form of torture, was/is currently used by the US.  Deep down every human would agree that if you could use water boarding, which has no long term or short term damage, to save lives, you would do it.  If you can save lives.  It has been raised by SOME that it produces some inaccurate information, and that is fine, and that is why it is not being used.

We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in...you can have a fairly robust interrogation program without torture, and we need to be able to do that.

There is nothing to be outraged about, and that is why there has been no notice of this.  Trust me, if there was something there that said that the United States was/is torturing, CNN would be all over it.

[Sal Atticum]

Before Red cries victory on this one, I suppose I'll have to say something else.  Mostly I am interested in where the line is between interrogation and torture.

Yes, I know it's subjective.  Now what is everyone's opinion?