by Lou Vailant

Created on: May 19, 2009   Last Updated: May 21, 2009

Waterboarding is a form of torturous interrogation used by the Central Intelligence Agency from 2002-2005. A recent report has surfaced about the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah who was, according to American authorities, a high-ranking member of al-Qaida and close associate of Osama bin Laden" (Wikipedia/Zubaydah).

It has been brought to light that the then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, gave permission to the CIA to use waterboarding techniques in their handling of the prisoner. This information is contrary to what she alluded to, attending meetings where the CIA interrogation request was discussed, in autumn of 2008 (MacAskill, Bates). The Senate intelligence committee, however, points to Rice as the approver of Zubaydah's waterboarding. The administration, despite pressure from their lawyers, "continued to validate the program, but the CIA voluntarily dropped [it] after 2005" (MacAskil, Bates).

Waterboarding is a controversial topic, for obvious reasons. The forcing of water down the breathing passages of a human being is extremely degrading and may even qualify as cruel and unusual punishment, an action expressly forbidden in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Thus, the immediate questions follow. Is such a procedure moral? Is it necessary?

These two questions are different from each other and even require different approaches upon answering. I do believe that such actions are immoral and quite possibly even unconstitutional. However, they may be just as necessary as they are immoral. The intersection between these conflicting characteristics becomes dangerous.

As a country founded upon human rights, it is wrong and hypocritical to condone excessively cruel methods of interrogation. Human rights' vanishing point lies in the diminishing of human dignity, an explicit result of torture. Senator John McCain replied to waterboarding by saying, "Waterboarding is torture, period. I can ensure you that once enough physical pain is inflicted...they will tell that interrogator whatever they think they want to hear. And most importantly, it serves as a great propaganda tool for those who recruit people to fight against us" (Shakir).

McCain is right, it is torture and as the CIA certainly knows, torture works. However, there is a limit. In times of great crisis and 'ticking time-bomb' situations, the government should be able to do whatever necessary to protect the common good. Again, I express necessary. Such harsh treatment of prisoners

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