Eric Holder: Waterboarding Is Torture

Can Tran January 15, 2009

Back in 2008, one of the biggest hot topics was the use of waterboarding in regards to interrogating prisoners. On March 11, 2008, United States President George W. Bush vetoed a bill. This bill would make it illegal for the CIA to use brutal interrogation techniques. One such technique considered brutal would be waterboarding.

It is a banned technique in the Army field manual. The nutshell explanation of waterboarding is: a simulated drowning. House Democrats were unable to override the veto.

2008 was also the year of the United States Presidential elections. GOP nominee Senator John McCain of Arizona said that the bill should be vetoed. However, McCain opposes waterboarding.

Today, there is more on the issue of waterboarding. Upon being elected as US President, US President-Elect Barack Obama started filling his cabinet. He picked Eric Holder to be the next Attorney General.

Holder spoke out in regards to waterboarding.

“Waterboarding is torture,” Holder explained. It was the first question Holder was asked at the confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was very blunt about the answer.

When Obama officially takes office on January 20, it would seem that the issue of waterboarding will become a major topic. Holder explains that torture does not lead to good intelligence. But, he’s made it clear that waterboarding is considered to be considered an act of torture.