The news that we used waterboarding a total of 266 times on two terror suspects has rocked the country.
C.I.A. interrogators used waterboarding, the near-drowning technique that top Obama administration officials have described as illegal torture, 266 times on two key prisoners from Al Qaeda, far more than had been previously reported.
MSNBC's military analyst retired Col. Jack Jacobs said that it was an astounding number.
Norah: Are you surprised by the number, two hundred and sixty six time on two terrorism suspects?
Jacobs: It's kind of astounding isn't it? You think after one or two times it didn't work, you wouldn't keep trying. Clearly, if you're doing it that many times it should be obvious to the casual observer that the technique is not working. Usually the information that you can get that's useful, you can get with very easy techniques. I've been in combat plenty of times, captured lots of bad guys and invariably got lots of information out of them using cigarettes, medical care and food. Most of the stuff that you're going to get when you give people a bad time, most of it is going to be information that they're going to give just to shut you up or to get you to stop doing what you're doing to them.
The colonel didn't want President Obama to release the CIA memos, but his take on torture is right on. It should be obvious, but it wasn't and that's often the case when new powers are bestowed on people with power. And that's why Judge Bybee should be impeached.
Join the grassroots movement to impeach Judge Jay Bybee by signing your name to the resolution before Friday's California Democratic Party convention.
