Writer Christopher Hitchens is asked by the Vanity Fair Magazine if he would submit to being waterboarded and then write about the experience. See the results in the video.




  1. Dr Dodd says:

    #30 Mister Mustard

    “Did you just transfer over from al Qaeda, or what?”

    The way your arguments constantly take the side of al Qaeda we could ask you the same question.

    You display such caring and disgust at how the enemy is treated and apparently couldn’t give a rats ass about the people that provide you the freedom to do so.

    I would say start thinking for yourself, but it would be wasted… Your brainwashing is complete.

  2. #31 – Mr Doody

    >>The way your arguments constantly take the side of
    >>al Qaeda we could ask you the same question.

    My arguments “take the side of al Qaeda”? wtf are you talking about?

    You think because I put forth the proposition that we should not become as evil as the forces that Dumbya got us into a war with, that I am “taking their side”?

    Christ, you are a dummy.

  3. bobbo says:

    #31–Dodd==seriously, you might want to copy this thread, print it out, and take it to a local mental health provider of your choosing. I’m not a professional, but your statements only make sense if you assume that NOTHING BushCo/USA does is wrong.

    Are you that jingoistic or just imagining that you are personally benefitting from the destruction of America and want to stay the course until your long position is covered?

    HEY!!! That reminds me of my favority question to a Bushie that I haven’t asked in months but is now appropriate again.

    Dr Dodd==what specific actions of BushCo do you think were wrong or hurtful to Amnerica, if any? Make the list as long as you wish, or as short as your ethics.

  4. Dr Dodd says:

    #32 – Mister Mustard

    “You think because I put forth the proposition that we should not become as evil as the forces that Dumbya got us into a war with, that I am “taking their side”?”

    What do you think war is, an encounter group that comes together to share their feelings?

    It’s horrible and brutal and winning is the only option. You attack your country like you wish defeat not realizing that in these dangerous times losing means the loss of everything you now enjoy.

    Take those Bush-hating blinders off for a moment and have a look around.

  5. #34 – Dood

    So why aren’t we “allowed to” win?

    Hmmmm?

  6. Improbus says:

    @Dr Dodd

    Do you work for the current administration? If you don’t they are probably running low on sycophants and you should go apply for a job. If that doesn’t work out you could get a talking head job on the Faux News network.

  7. MikeN says:

    At least no one is claiming today that torture never works.

    The New York Times article on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed put that idea to rest.

  8. peter_m says:

    That didn’t take very long and he “threw” the metal handles to the floor as he was drowning!

    Happy fourth of July TORTURERS!!!!!!!!!!

  9. Dr Dodd says:

    #35 Mister Mustard

    So why aren’t we “allowed to” win?

    There are several reasons but the most important is as soon as a victory is declared all US forces will have to leave. To keep it going allows a footprint to remain in the form of a staging area for any future Middle East unrest.

    As it happens it is necessary because of Iran’s open treats to bring about the next world war because of the desired to fulfill some Islamic promise. Another reason not to let them acquire nuclear weapons.

    Having a ready attack force that close to Iran can mean the difference of their success or failure.

  10. MikeN says:

    Has Obama flip-flopped on torture yet?

  11. #35 – Dodd

    Seems like Iran was much LESS of a threat before Dumbya started his trophy war. Inspectors, diplomacy, blah blah were at least keeping things under control.

    Now, the only way to keep things under control is to keep feeding American kids into the maw of the Middle East. At breathtaking expense, both in monetary terms and human life.

    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?

    #37 – Lyin’ Mike

    >>The New York Times article on Khalid
    >>Sheikh Mohammed put that idea to rest.

    What about all the other guys who didn’t do anything, and had no criminal secrets to reveal? But got waterboarded anyway.

    Why fuck around with this pussy waterboarding stuff? Why not do like Die Weisse Engle, and just drill into their teeth until they talk? Burn them with acid? Cut off limbs one by one? They’ll all work too, in a certain proportion of suspects.

  12. lou says:

    The USA lost the respect of the world with this kind of thing.
    And you voted Dummy U in for a second term.

  13. Dr Dodd says:

    #41 Mister Mustard

    “Seems like Iran was much LESS of a threat before Dumbya started his trophy war.”

    We are talking about mere politicians. Who ever said that winning an election provides anyone with the illumination of knowing what they are doing?

    This does raise one interesting fact. These are the same politicians that many who visit DU can’t wait to give more power by growing a larger government. Such a contradiction.

  14. #43 – Dodd

    Not a bigger government; a better one.

    The good news is, it can’t get any worse than Dubmya’s regime.

    Yee-haw!

  15. GregAllen says:

    FINALLY, an armchair chicken hawk war monger gets tortured

    But they gave him the S&M version of it, with a safe word.

    Even so, he has more cajones than that 99.999% of the other chicken hawk conservatives who support this method of torture.

  16. GregAllen says:

    >> Mister Mustard said,
    >> The good news is, it can’t get any worse than Dubmya’s regime.

    Yes it can:

    A McCain regime.

  17. GregAllen says:

    >> lou said,
    >> The USA lost the respect of the world with this kind of thing.
    >> And you voted Dummy U in for a second term.

    I was pretty sure we’d lost the war when Rumsfeld laughed about Saddams’s mammoth arms stashes being looted.

    But I was ABSOLUTELY SURE when the photos Abu Gharib were released. America lost all moral credibility — and you need that to win hearts and minds.

    Those photos set back democratic movements in the middle east by a generation, maybe even a century.

  18. MikeN says:

    #44, it’s nice to see you’re improving. Now if we can get all the other lefties on this board to recant their position that torture never works.

  19. Dave says:

    So, let me understand this now.. The only people that are allowed to torture and kill without recourse is terrorist? ok, great, got that straight.. some of you are absolutely ignorant retards! Let’s just give and let them kill us…since we are not allowed to do a dang thing about it anymore…

  20. #48 – Lyin’ Mike

    >>it’s nice to see you’re improving. Now if we can get
    >>all the other lefties on this board to recant their
    >>position that torture never works.

    The terrorists have won, my lyin’ friend. We have become them. We are what we most feared and reviled.

    Way to fucking go, Osama. You and Dumbya make a heck of a couple.

  21. billabong says:

    I always thought Hitchens was a real Pr#ck and now I know for sure. His editor probably watches this video everytime he has to talk to him.Lets all cut the crap and understand that we are at war.War is hell.You do things that no one can be proud of.The only thing that really counts is to win….then everything is justified by your historians.

  22. #51 – billabong

    Yeah, the Godless fuck!

  23. JohnG says:

    Your damn right its torture…that is what its meant to be! It can and will be argued for years to come what is and should have been done with the prisoners of Guantanamo. Do you people actually believe that American or Coalition prisoners are treated fairly or better? C’mon, wake up! Their agenda is to destroy, annihilate, everyone that is not in accord with their own beliefs, even their own people who do not hold to the radical beliefs of a few. Everything we as a country do is not always right, never will be, but we still are a much better people than that bunch of “savages” period. Y’all make me sick to think we have men and women affording you the luxury of freedom to spout such BULLSH_T!

  24. tcc3 says:

    Mustard and Bobbo on the same side of an argument? Surely we are in the end times. =)

  25. Improbus says:

    @tcc3

    Yep, those with a conscience against those that don’t have one. I am an agnostic libertarian and I agree with Mustard on this one.

  26. chuck says:

    Did he talk?
    Did he confess to being a member of Al-Qaeda?
    Didn’t the MTV/Jackass bunch already do this?

    Now that the video is on you-tube it means the terrorists now have step-by-step instructions on an effective torture method which they can use on any capture serviceman in Afghanistan or Iraq.

  27. Improbus says:

    @chuck

    Don’t you think they already have a copy of our armed forces’ torture manual? What do they need with a Youtube video other than to laugh at a stupid journalist?

  28. Brian says:

    56-

    hahahahahaha

    you think the terrorists need this youtube video to be effective torturers?

    Give me a damned break. You’re probably the same idiot who condemns videos of how to protect yourself against robberies for fear of giving thieves ideas.

    Pull your head out of your ass.

  29. montanaguy says:

    Pathetic diatribe from the self-righteous lefties, as usual. Any actual evidence of whether or not and how often waterboarding has actually been used? Why not start with some basic facts? People who do professional interrogation for the government and military know that torture is not very effective and potentially very counter-productive. We are NOT waterboarding people left-and-right at Gitmo or anywhere else. This is a straw man for the left to scream about.

    It is an error that people who are deprived of oxygen turn “red” as one opinionator stated . They turn blue and dusky, also known as cyanosis. The volunteer was clearly not cyanotic, he had a panic reaction, which from his statements is a common thing for him. I’m guessing your average Navy SEAL could tolerate this much, much longer than the wimp that volunteered. SEAL training is basically 6 months of hypothermia and partial drowning. Is that torture?
    Should we outlaw the use of firearms against terrorists? Have you seen what a wounded gunshot victim goes through? I have. Is that not torture? Where do you draw your smug, self-righteous line? Maybe handcuffs are torture… after all, they cause some uncomfortable chafing and swelling at times. Maybe cause nightmares, for gosh sakes. Maybe our troops and interrogators should just be limited to throwing ‘Code Pink’ buttons at these guys… woops, could put an eye out.

  30. bobbo says:

    #59–montanaguy==your post is so full of artless bullshit. Your errors are definitional.

    1. The straw man argument here is yours. The issue is whether or not America should, in its own self interest, waterboard its prisoners. You have to be deaf, dumb, and a Bushie to think it helps protect America–so how many are waterboarded is irrelevant once the world thinks we approve the procedure. In fact, your argument goes just the other way. If we are waterboarding very few, is that little bit of evidence worth the massive turn in world opinion?

    2. You ask if standard Seal training is torture. No, it isn’t. What equation are you trying to make?

    3. You totally lose it trying to equate battlefield conflict with guns to after battlefield conflict in detention centers with interrogation. Again, I guess the bullshit between your ears makes this “connection” valid in some way? It so obviously doesn’t, I won’t further digress.

    Self Righteous? Got a mirror handy?

    Dolt.


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