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

[cct84]

Some food for thought...

-No one ever claimed that waterboarding was a pleasant experience. It's intended to elicit information in a short time-frame, from someone who presumably would not otherwise talk. Thus, by intent, it's going to be unpleasant, coercive even...but torture? Depends on your definition of torture.

-There is no U.S. law, treaty, regulation, or document that defines waterboarding as torture. If you wish to call it that, that's your OPINION--nothing more. BTW, when a measure came before congress to unequivocally define waterboarding as torture, the measure was defeated--by a large majority I might add.

-Since a normal person of average health can probably hold their breath for 1 minute, that fact that Hitch capitulated after 17 seconds should not be taken as a sign of how "tortuous" the experience is. Again, not to say it's a pleasant experience--it's not meant to be--but the mechanism of action is more psychological than physical.

-For those who are against waterboarding, If the life of someone you loved rested on information that could only be obtained from having someone waterboarded, would you give permission to waterboard? If you can honestly say no, then congratulations, you have the strength of your convictions. If it were my decision…I’d say “dunk that MF.”

[ClevelandTom]

Have you ever been waterboarded? Have you ever been in the room when someone else was waterboarded? If your answer is no to both, then you have no real idea what waterboarding does to a person and you are making ajudgement with no basis.

Now, if you knew someone had knowledge of an immediate threat and want to torture him to save lives, then call up the President and let him personally OK it. But there is absolutely no evidence that waterboarding or any of the other treatments have been used in such circumstances. Torture was used simply to speed up the intelligence process at the encouragement of people like Rummsfeld and Cheney.

[ThatTexasNurse]

First thing's first... if thoughts were food, some of us would starve to death. Secondly, it has already been established that torture does not produce accurate information. Thereby rendering it useless for obtaining anything of value whatsoever. Logic would then dictate that any device used to physically, psychologically, or emotionally coerce an individual into a meaningless confession is, and should be, classified as torture.

This is not rocket science. This is not difficult. This is simply common sense and respect for humanity.

So, last time for those who still don't get it...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A LITTLE TORTURE...period.

[patmancando]

Thanks Rummy, but no thanks!

[NelsonC]

How long someone can hold their breath is irrelevant. Why do you think they place the person at an angle on the board? You may be able to keep your mouth closed and hold your breath. But it doesn't keep the water from rushing up your nose, into your sinuses and the the back of the throat. While gravity may keep the water from the lungs, the human body naturally panics at this sensation, worse than a gag reflex.

As for the "loved one in peril" scenario; How would you feel about your loved ones being waterboarded, because someone was in such a white-hot panic that he was willing throw all principles out the window, and too busy thinking up catchy dunking phrases?

Now, of course we know an innocent person couldn't be treated that way. Never happen. But there is currently a huge legal black hole allowing no recourse if it did.

I would maybe be on your side about this, if this administration was a little more competent about going after a catching the right guys.

[Davwbaird]

so, that knock on your door is them coming to get you. You will talk but not until you are keel hauled and castrated and made to rat your jewels. Yes our government does this stuff.

[iheardthisbefore]

Couldn't they have just kept pouring water on him?
Maybe he'll grow gills....he writes like a fish....uh...carp I believe.

[ParanoidPollyanna]

I believe he drinks like a fish. He usually LOOKS like a disheveled Wino homeless guy. (Sorry homeless guys, don't mean to demean YOU!)

[Hirnlego]

Time for Hitchens to write a book called The neocons - The rise of modern imperialism and how it poisons everything.

[Tommygun264]

Couldn't they have kept it up just a little bit longer, like 2 to 3 hours?

[bosshogg]

why he did it in pants and dress shirt???

[CWWest]

He clearly was NOT waterboarded because he did not sincerely fear for his life. "Trying" waterboarding is to waterboarding as bungie jumping is to jumping off a bridge.

Also, notice all the attention on waterboarding, even though it's just one tactic that's used. Banning waterboarding specifically would just move to more widespread use of other techniques. Any ban must be comprehensive and principle based.

[V4Vigilance]

This is a test...

[captnEarl]

Everyone who thinks torture(water boarding) is O.K. for us to do should willingly submit to this example, or forever shutup

[jnratliff]

17 seconds, I wish we could let a lot of republicans try it out. I bet we would not have near as many bush supporters afterward.
republican = insanity!

[SharonB]

I don't know very much about him at all. I assume he is arrogant and drinks.
But, after watching that video, I am just kind of sick inside.

Something is broken in our govenrment. Something is broken in this world.

Can you imagine having that done to you and you do not speak the same language as the people doing it to you. Even with translators a calm cool conversation can be misunderstood.
Can you imagine being someone who really has nothing to hide and having this done?

Is there anyone who can read about or look at this sort of thing and fault those of us who are encouraged by Mr. Obama's message of hope?

Thinking about 4 more years of this sort of thing makes me feel nothing but despair.

Stop this war NOW!

Close Guantanamo NOW!

[toby25]

Those who actually have been there and involved with the place say Guantanamo is better than an American prison. These people are treated very fairly and given MANY privledges. I know anti war, anti Bush folks will refuse to believe such a thing.

By the way... Obama and his message of hope sounds more and more lately like a bunch of nonsense. The way he is running from his prior promises it sounds like "HE" is the one that is running for another 4 years of Bush.

[luvobama]

I don't think you could be any more wrong. How can you compare Guantanamo and American prisons. Let's start by stating the obvious. The people in Gitmo have never had a trial. They have been convicted of nothing! How about I take all of your freedom away and throw you a few privileges? This has nothing to do with my feelings for Bush or the war. Just stating facts. Furthermore, Obama is all about hope. He's going to be our next POTUS and hopefully bring back the respect and dignity this country was based on.

[dgscol]

They should have tried the "pulling out nose hair torture" - he would have cried after 1 hair !!
The Bolsheviks are not what they had been.

He can dish it out but then watch him run and hide.

[RAGGEDSTEP]

Hadn't seen this done in a long time. Thanks for posting the video. It's a dirty little trick but it sure gets them talking. As with other people put through this procedure, Hitchens suffered no permenent harm.

This is a good way to get information without hurting anyone.

[whatsthatsound]

Tough guy.

[Cybesq]

Yours seems like a very similar response as seen in the recent mental hospital video where the security guard simply watches a woman lay on the floor, without rendering the slightest assistance.

What part of Hitchen's comment about potentially destroying someone's mind in 17 seconds translates in your brain as not hurting anyone?

[markkraft]

Indeed. It's a great way to get innocent people willing to say anything in order to get you to stop torturing them.

You can even rat out your next-door neighbor just because they pissed you off one time, have their house raided at 2am, and get them to be tortured too! And who knows who they'll rat out...!

[NABNYC]

If only Hitchins was still on our side, instead of living under the shadow of Rove's fat ass. Think of the fund-raising possibilities. It could be auctioned off on e-bay: bid to be the person in the black mask who gets to waterboard Hitchens. Or, second runner-up gets to hold him down. Damn, all the good ideas have already been taken.

[zakwouldhave]

Hitch does a great service to many of us in many ways. If he would just forget his obsession with the Clintons and keep on actual issues like waterboarding he could have a great impact. oh yeah, and he should check himself on Iraq.
But go Hitch....please let Obama know he is being silly with the faith-based thing.

[partyofone]

Next up.... Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, and John Yoo follow Hitchens lead, subject themselves regularly to waterboarding on video tape to demonstrate that it is not torture or in any way dangerous, and to show their courage, moral leadership, and strength of conviction. Right