148. Gaffe Prices: WADR . . . I think the issue isn’t who got what punishment for waterboarding who, but whether waterboarding is torture or not. Admittedly, we’ve strayed a bit from the original article, but it seems to me (without endorsing any particular view) that the prevailing opinion is that, yes, waterboarding is torture, both historically and today. If you feel it is torture, that brings in other questions about its impact on America’s moral commitments inside our borders and our moral standing beyond our borders. Did it produce intelligence that saved American lives? Maybe. But I think the Bush administration needs to prove that rather than merely claim it based on what can reasonably be called dissembling on the part of the administration on may issues pursuant to the war. if we remain dispassionate about the politics of the matter, we stand a better chance of getting to the truth. And I, for one do not fear the truth no matter where it leads.