Yonivore
01-07-2005, 04:39 PM
From Sen. Ted Kennedy's questioning of Attorney General-designate Alberto Gonzales yesterday:
"Well, just as an attorney, as a human being, I would have thought that if there were recommendations that were so blatantly and flagrantly over the line in terms of torture, that you might have recognized them. I mean, it certainly appears to me that water boarding, with all its descriptions about drowning someone to that kind of a point, would come awfully close to getting over the border, and that you'd be able to at least say today, 'There were some that were recommended or suggested on that, but I certainly wouldn't have had a part of that, as a human being.'"
A Wall Street Journal editorial yesterday described the interrogation technique of "water boarding":
"It involves strapping a detainee down, wrapping his face in a wet towel and dripping water on it to produce the sensation of drowning."
Apparently it is frightening but harmless. It might be worthwhile for the Senate to call a witness who has experience with actual drowning to comment on the difference...unfortunately, Mary Jo Kopeckne was unavailable to testify.
When his staff warned him about pursuing the possibly "self-illuminating" line of questioning Senator Kennedy was heard to comment, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"Well, just as an attorney, as a human being, I would have thought that if there were recommendations that were so blatantly and flagrantly over the line in terms of torture, that you might have recognized them. I mean, it certainly appears to me that water boarding, with all its descriptions about drowning someone to that kind of a point, would come awfully close to getting over the border, and that you'd be able to at least say today, 'There were some that were recommended or suggested on that, but I certainly wouldn't have had a part of that, as a human being.'"
A Wall Street Journal editorial yesterday described the interrogation technique of "water boarding":
"It involves strapping a detainee down, wrapping his face in a wet towel and dripping water on it to produce the sensation of drowning."
Apparently it is frightening but harmless. It might be worthwhile for the Senate to call a witness who has experience with actual drowning to comment on the difference...unfortunately, Mary Jo Kopeckne was unavailable to testify.
When his staff warned him about pursuing the possibly "self-illuminating" line of questioning Senator Kennedy was heard to comment, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."