Vanity Fair's Christopher Hitchens Undergoes Waterboarding

Just in case the revelation that American torturers took their cues from that model of moral clarity that was the Chinese Communist regime hasn't fully convinced you that the practice is unquestionably, incontrovertibly evil, Christopher Hitchens' column in the August 2008 Vanity Fair, "Believe Me, It's Torture," ought to drive the point home. That is, if the accompanying video, available online at Vanity Fair's website, doesn't do it first.

In the video, Christopher Hitchens is brought, hooded and bound, into an austere looking storage room, and placed on a board, slightly elevated at its foot. He is instructed by the similarly masked interrogators on how to call a halt to the procedure, either through a safe word - "red" - or by releasing the "dead man's handle" - a metal object placed in each hand. A towel is placed over his face and one of the interrogators begins pouring water on Hitchens' face from an ordinary-looking milk carton. The interrogators demonstrate no more aggression that one might when watering a houseplant. In fact, the process looks so unremarkable that you begin to wonder if they aren't simply "warming Hitchens up" for something worse.

Seventeen seconds pass, and then Hitchens drops the dead man's handle. When the hood is removed, it is jarring to see how panic-stricken Hitchens looks.

In the video, Hitchens describes the experience:

They told me that when I activated the 'dead man's handle' - which is a simple process, you simply release something, let it go - I didn't do that. I practically, even though my hands were bound, I...as near as I could...I threw the thing out of my hand. I mean, I really wanted it to stop.

I could swear I shouted the code word, but I hadn't.

Everything completely goes on you when you're breathing water. You can't think about anything else.

It would be bad enough if you did have something. Suppose if they wanted to know where a relative of yours was...or a lover. You feel, "Well, I'm going to betray them now. Because this has to come to an end. I can't take this anymore." But what if you didn't have anything? What if you'd got the wrong guy? Then you would be in danger of losing your mind very quickly.

That last paragraph, I believe, is critical, especially considering the torture practices of the Chinese Communists - who we are now emulating - were designed to elicit false confessions from those who were tortured.

Attention should be paid to the aftermath of the experience as well, which Hitchens relates thusly:

As a result of this very brief experience, if I do anything that gets my heart rate up, and I'm breathing hard, panting, I have a slight panic sensation that I'm not going to be able to catch my breath again...lately I've been having this feeling of waking up feeling smothered, trying to push everything off my face.

It takes only seventeen seconds to impact the life of an innocent man.

PREVIOUSLY, ON THE HUFFINGTON POST: Former U.S. Navy Seal Kaj Larsen experienced waterboarding firsthand, and recounted the ordeal for the Huffington Post (and on CurrentTV) in a piece titled: "A Lesson For Mukasey: Why I Had Myself Water-Boarded"

Comments

[likeicare]

I have been amused (or, bemused) for some time, at the fact that, despite Mr. Hitchens' obvious intellectual abilities, he continues to trumpet the Cheney/Bush regime's position that the War in Iraq was, and is, justified.

The use of torture, like waterboarding, to bolster this argument is only evidence to the contrary.

Do you "get it" now, Mr. H?

[lvrplfc4l]

Mr Hitchens in his self appointed position as media ambassador for the Kurds had a long advocated getting rid of Saddam Hussein. His willingness to go along with the Bush Administration is another fine example of strange bedfellows, much like his championing of Mr Worfowitz. Mr Hitchens writings on the Kurds and their betrayal by American governments both left and right leave little doubt of his views on Saddam and American foreign policy in regard to the Kurds. I would suggest Mr Hitchens' book For The Sake Of Arguement as a starting point for insight into how Hicthens came to believe in this war.

[RJC]

I've long felt that those who claim/support waterboarding isn't torture, should subject themself to the procedure. Chickenshits. It's fun until it happens to you. Same goes for getting rendered and getting locked up in Gitmo for 7 years without any legal recourse. What have we become?

[ParanoidPollyanna]

I would say that if Bush believes in Torture, then HE should have to be the one to be the Interrogator. But the Chimp in Chief would enjoy it too much, the creepozoid is definitely a Sadist: remember that Woman who had become "born again" Christian, who was on Death Row in TEXAS when he was Governor of Texas, and all kinds of people wrote to Bush, asking him to stop her Execution. She had been for years trying to make up for her crime, trying to help other new Inmates not make the same mistakes she did? And she'd genuinely changed?

Tucker Carlson said Bush actually IMITATED the woman's voice, pretending he was her begging for him to save her life. What kind of "Christian" does that make Bush? Is that the kind of PRESIDENT America deserves? NO!!

I just wonder: would McCain be more of the same? Even though he was tortured himself, he flipped and now is OK with Bush's big Torture fun and games!

[klayton]

Hmm. I've always wanted to see Christopher Hitchens tortured.

[liya]

I knew I wouldn't have to scroll that far down to see some dumb comment directed at Hitchens.

[sugarmoes]

hitchens is a complete blowhard, afterall. but i do applaud his work here.

[Jason357]

LOL!!

[Drewkowski]

The only difference is, he knew he would be released when he gave the signal. Do you think the people that have been waterboarded on orders of our government have that luxury?

Now, imagine how much more terrifying it must be in that situation.

Now, if you still think it is not torture, volunteer your children to the CIA so they can practice the technique. What's wrong, don't love your country enough?

[awcbuddy8]

It happened twice five years ago. Get over it.

[RJC]

If you believe that, you're a sad little puppet. Oh I forget the Bush creed" The only only thing we ever did wrong is what we were caught at "

[sugarmoes]

and the other part of the creed - "believe everything said by the most stupid and greedy loser you've ever seen"

[genseric]

The practice will never be banned (even if they make it appear to be banned in an Executive Order, etc., that can be changed in 30 seconds). If a situation is dire enough in the minds of the G, they will do anything and everything to stop something from happening, as well they should. Lay people try to make it sound simple ("hey, the information may be incorrect!"). That's beside the point. Even disinformation disseminated by the suspect can still be valuable. It is cross checked countless times. The information gained is put together with other known pieces of information to try and figure out what is going on in a real time, critical situation.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If one guy is waterboarded to save hundreds or thousands, then it was the right thing to do.

[Drewkowski]

That was some movie you mut have been watching, but we are talking about waterboarding as torture, not the Bible Code.

You can't "cross-check" false information.

[ultomatt]

Truly un-American.

What makes the torture enterprise so disgusting are the actions taken regarding those they've knowingly wronged. That action is to deny it, to cover it up, to even take the hostages and drop them off in some god-forsaken wilderness and hope they die. What I am saying is, if there were ever to be even an iota of honor involved in any of this, not that retaining honor means much when the end justifies the means, reparations would be immediately paid those this country has wronged, and in many cases lives this country has ruined...i­nnocent lives. If this country had half the backbone it struts around acting as if it had, it would own up to these ruined lives, apologize and do whatever can be done to make it right.

This however, is NOT how things are done. Here, based on info out of Gitmo and elsewhere, nearly no prosecutions have been successfully carried out, making it clearer with each new day that the vast majority of people held are innocent bystanders swept up by hardline fanatics who sign loyalty oaths to see their Dear Leader speak. A Dear Leader who has stated his hardline ideology again and again, but of course, only in front of carefully prepared, loyal Bush fanatics who ALL think the end justifies the means if Dear Leader says so.

[genseric]

We're talking about apples and oranges. Rounding up hundreds or thousands of Iraqis off the streets and mistreating them obviously should not happen. I was referring to specific situations. Mistakes happen, that's life. People die in accidents everyday, through negligence or for any number of reasons. You guys act like the government should be this all knowing and perfect instrument. The act of mistreating a prisoner should be based on an existential crisis for the nation-state. Think of what you would do in some similar scenario involving your family. Would you say, "no, I cannot so such a thing", and then watch your family die. No, probably you won't, and therein lies the problem. The govt, in its own scenario, would be in a replica of that problem but on a possibly massive scale. This is where the legalisms of a State start to break down. "The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation­." - Thomas Jefferson

[ParanoidPollyanna]

I'm sure that's exactly what Pontius Pilate said to himself, about a certain "radical" trouble maker in a place two thousand plus years ago. Torture is Torture, and BUSH says he is a CHRISTIAN? He would have made a terrific Roman Emperor, believe it!

If the suspect really IS a Terrorist and minutes or hours matter, have you thought about the danger that during the process of Waterboarding or other forms of Torture -- the guy might have a HEART ATTACK or something, and be unable then to be Interrogated the ways that actually WORK? Or, he might DIE, and then you would be out of LUCK. You cannot get information out of a DEAD Terrorist!

This is not silly speculation -- many of the most radical and dangerous TOP Terrorist Leaders, are not young, many of them are old enough to have Gray hair, and their HEALTH is not as able to handle such Torture and Stress. I wonder how many suspects being Interrogated using Torture techniques have died during or because of it? That's one secret I bet they'll try to bury!

Let the PROFESSIONALS handle the Interrogations who know how to actually get good information, let the SADISTS who enjoy torturing people, go work for Communist China.

[UpstateSC]

So if you are ever tortured for information, we can expect you to simply shrug and say "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If one guy is waterboarded to save hundreds or thousands, then it was the right thing to do" when you are released should you survive. Even if it's a mistake (you had no knowledge useful to the torturers) you will take it in stride.

[nomobull]

no then the tune will change

[sugarmoes]

unless... you're the decider and you want to go to war no matter what. then all that cross checking? not so interesting.

[davesideas]

what's unfortunate is that Hitchens didn't have a relavent idea to offer up; and did he really have to be waterboarded to recognize it as torture?

[fzriely]

Reading Hitchens is torture. Waterboarding Hitchens is justice.

[flamflurm]

Funny though false. He's a good enough writer. I don't often agree with him though. For example, in his VF piece he makes an outright false statement in saying that waterboarding is not simulated drowning but is actual drowning. Though usually impeccably British in his care for the meanings of words and exact grammatical constructs, drowning means actually to kill by water. So in fact he is wrong or was exaggerating for effect.
No matter. Waterboarding is a nasty thing to do to someone and we'd better have a damn good reason before we do. His article puts forth both sides, toward the end and is reasonably fair.
All one can ask for.

[Meggie]

WHY do we listen to these idiots who think that they can pretend they've gone through waterboarding? Are we all really that stupid?
Prisoners are not around friends, do not have any control over when the activity starts and ends, have probably been tortured in other ways before the waterboarding activity begins, and have no control over what happens next. They cannot go to dinner with their friends to discuss what waterboarding was like when it's all over.
This is always a STUPID display, and only STUPID people pay any attention. And only the MOST STUPID person would pretend that they know what waterboarding is like unless they have been a real prisoner.

[BitterInPA]

Fine. Our government should always be proud of their actions. Let's stop the phony excuses that we can't let our enemies see our techniques to combat terrorism. It's time we show the "interrogations" live on network TV. If our government does this on our behalf, we should be forced to watch, witness and be all held accountable.

[Davwbaird]

I aqgree then take up arms and be dead quick. I am ready.

[huzzah]

I think the point was that even when you DO have all those things the act itself is still horrific, therefore it must really be excruciating when it's done the way we are doing it...

[ParanoidPollyanna]

I know that Christopher Hitchens is a Smoker, so now he ALSO knows what it feels like, for a Smoker who is suffering from EMPHYSEMA!

The Waterboarding made me think of this, and of the Emergency Room Doctor who related how affected he was, when an Emphysema patient he was seeing was gasping for breath, and looking really distressed. The Doctor said the patient had started CRYING, because he was upset and in pain, but found that he didn't have enough BREATH to cry.

Which seems irrelevant to this story, until you realize that besides supporting Waterboarding and other forms of Torture of Detainees, George W. Bush and his minions ALSO support to the HILT, their buddies in the Tobacco Industry. The "Merchants of Death" those of us in the Smokefree activist community call them. Only half a Million or so American Deaths a year, plus all the Smokers like the man with Emphysema, who couldn't spare the breath needed to have a good Cry!

[GallopingCat]

If they strapped me down and made me listen to Enigma, I wouldn't have lasted that long. Evanescence or Kid Rock and I would have been crying like a baby.

[doctorwang]

Once I was strapped down and forced to listen to Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill".....­....I lost control of all my bodily functions within 9 seconds. Oh..... the horror of it all.......

[flamflurm]

Who did this to you? This is worse that The Roots I had to hear stuck in a lab once.

[Menocu]

I was once "Creedboarded" in a similar fashion.

[markkraft]

Of course, Hitchens was for torture before he was against it.

In his own words:
"Amnesty nonetheless finds its voice by describing (Guantanamo) as "the gulag of our times.". . . This is not even neutrality between the fireman and the fire. It surely expresses a covert sympathy with the aims and objectives of jihad and an overt, if witless and sinister, hatred of the United States."

In short, Hitchens believed that anyone who took a principled stand against torture was helping the enemy and hated the U.S. Nevermind that "with us or against us" is an amoral stance, where horrors can potentially be justified "for the greater good". It worked for Stalin, for Mao, for Bush, and for Hitchens. At least it worked for him until he got a small taste of his own advocacy.

Really, it's fundamentally unjust that Christopher Hitchens' experience with waterboarding was so brief and tame, in comparison to that of so many others -- many of whom were innocent -- whose suffering he turned a blind eye to. The reality is that Christopher Hitchens wasn't tortured, he was coddled, and given a very brief taste of his own medicine.

Apparently, the Neoconned can justify anything..­. until it happens to them.

[totaldisbelief]

A "volunteer" from Congress should have done this a long time ago in front of the rest of Congress and we could have saved a lot of hot air.

[DonDavis]

Christopher Hitchens REALLY Proves That Waterboarding is ‘Torture’
http://satiricalpolitical.com/?p=1974

[Vinca]

I plan to go to Mike Malloy's website and watch the video of the waterboarding

[ClevelandTom]

I give Hitchens credit for doing this, even if he only got a very mild taste of the real thing.

I was waterboarded during SERE training in the USN many years ago. I don't know how long my session lasted. It could have been 17 seconds but it seemed much longer. In that experience, there was no "safe word" or "deadman switch", and the interrogators slapped me around and screamed at me to add some realism to the training. And the real coup de gras was a punch to my solar plexus while they were pouring the water. That kept me from holding my breath and sped things up I guess.

I found out later that my "interrogators" were actually Navy corpsmen (medics) trained to recognize dangerous physical problems.

I didn't have any trauma over the experience but then I was in my early twenties at the time, not middle-aged like Hitchens.

Any one who claims that waterboarding is not torture is either an idiot or pathological.

[patmancando]

Or in the Booosh administra­tion......­.......