Mancow Addresses Accusation That His Waterboarding Was A Hoax (VIDEO)

Erich 'Mancow' Muller appeared on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" Friday to address rumors that the waterboarding he underwent a few weeks ago to see whether the technique was constituted torture was in fact a hoax. Olbermann mentioned a report on Gawker which reported that Mancow's waterboarding was 'completely fake' and simply a publicity stunt. As evidence they mentioned an email from Mancow's publicist that said "It will be a hoax but have to look real."

While Mancow admitted to Olbermann that it was fair to call the incident a "stupid radio stunt," he noted that "waterboarding, all it is is water in your nose and mouth with your head back. I'm not David Copperfield. We had 50 news cameras there." He suggested that while the event was meant as a stunt, as his publicist suggested, the events that took place were completely real.

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Comments

[provgrays]

Many years ago, the Mancow show called me and asked me to play a character on the air one morning. I did it as a lark and for the experience. They offered me the princely sum of $25.00 to do it.

On the day of the show, I waited on the phone for four hours and they would have me join in briefly twice an hour in the guise of the character they wanted me to play. The show ended and I never got the $25.00.

I went on to work in radio as a host and left because the business was so scummy. Trusting a word that Mancow says is not advisable. It's the nature of radio.

[escribacat]

Interesting story. So even the callers are hired actors?

[provgrays]

escribacat,

Yes, they're "hired" acctors, if only they would actually pay the people they hire.

[yellowdogminnesotan]

Mancow is right, lay head back pour water down throat and nose, repeat. It's that simple, it's torture.

[3Dubyadot]

Yellow you are right, that is torture. Bush and Hitler are one in the same. I mean who wouldn't think that is terrible. These people are human and deserve our respect. We should invite the so called terrorists over to our homes and show them we are not all like that terrible Bush. If we really want to gather information from them I have always found a nice restaurant is a way to get people to talk or we could treat them like they did Mr Pearl that might be nice too.

[malibumadman]

If you look at the video from either angle you can clearly see that the Marine executing the torture was holding his nose closed. It was a hoax. It never went up his nose. Check it out. MANCOW is a sissy.

[FormerReaganite]

Try this: stick a garden hose in your mouth, and tell us if you can avoid choking on the water. We will be waiting for your response.

[LeftRight]

So the very fact that he couldn't stand up to a (no pun intended) watered down version of waterboarding shows that what he went through isn't torture???

[p-junkie]

Since conservatives are trying to convince us that this was a hoax (we all know why), I suggest that more of them volunteer to be waterboarded to prove their allegations.

[Kenji]

I thought they liked it.
What's so bad about waterboarding, then, that you'd have to fake it?

[Defunct]

Maybe instead of body surfing in Hawaii, the Republicans and Democrats (at this point) can just kick at te bar and get water boarded while eating chip n salsa.

[jordan3189]

Liberals...............The country is trillions of dollars in debt, california could be come insolvent any day now, the gov't controls the banks and car industry, the gov't is is firing ceo's of private companies, forcing banks to take bailout funds in order to control them.,,,etc etc. And all you fools on here care about is that olbermann isn't shown to be an idiot (too late). Also , how bad water boarding is. Those terrorists must be tough, they water boarded that one 183 times and he's still fine.

[tb92]

We care about protecting the moral compass of our nation. We care about the rights upon which this country was founded. We care about improving our security by letting the world know that we are no longer committing crimes. We care about protecting our soldiers. We care about truth.

There are some things more important than money. It's a shame that you don't understand.

[JessWonderin]

ow . . "liberal" . . . that hurts . . . I may walk off and cry . . .

Back - did you mention that those "trillions in debt" were the result of EIGHT YEARS of Republican mismanagement and greed tinged with total incompetence??? or mention that Bush "forced" the "bail outs on the banks" . . or as OWNERS of the near bankrupt firms, we "the Govt", would be stupid to KEEP the very "CEO"s that guided and pillaged the companies into this disaster???

gads, I'm glad the Home only has ONE computer in the rec room - or this board would be over run . . . .

[Kenji]

Yawn...

[Epiphany2b]

Now that you've given us an over view of the problems of the upper crust, when are you going to publish the primer on the under belly.

Thousands of people losing their jobs because of mismanagement of those banks you're so concerned about, people losing their homes and businesses because of those CEOs who've been getting huge salaries and obscene bonuses, etc. etc.

Ever hear of comic relief?? It's what the little guy does when we can't solve all those problems that the rich and greedy have gotten the country into.

[HST]

Conservatives......Ruin the economy, lead us into a war of choice that did no good and cost trillions of dollars and hey, why pay attention to the law or all those pesky anti-torture treaties like the Geneva convention that we signed?

[StillAmused]

And there, you have it... the reason none of the loudest right-wing foghorns will submit to the procedure. On the rare occasion one does, he blows up his own -- and the wingnut -- narrative (and the delusion that talking tough is the same as growing a pair).

The invitation stands for all the pocket-protector keyboard warriors here... do the board or crawl away.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Seems like GOPers will go through anything to prove waterboarding is not torture.

Go through anything except experience it themselves.

[jordan3189]

You guys say abortion isn't torture, why don't you experience it and get back to me.

[JessWonderin]

whoa . . . shall we go though the list from Aboo-Grab-An-Arab prison menus of "enhanced interrogation techniques"???

(and I don't recall anyone saying that particular phrase . . . . must have powered up the rec room computer at the home)

[wndrwrthg]

And you have?

[lvadpro]

Try staying on subject, con. Every time the torture debate comes up, conservatives always resort back to the 'well abortion is torture' crap. Which is no matter what you say, is NOT torture, but a completely different subject altogether. Quit deflecting the argument like you always try to do.

[Hitchcockcameo]

oh, oh, I see what you're trying to do. You're trying to create false equivalency with your comparison so that you can justify (to yourself) your waning morality.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Please provide a link of anyone saying abortion isn't torture.
I have never heard that before in my life.

[Nivekian]

This It was faked" talk comes off as Right Wing damage control. Pretty pathetic that some news sources are mis-reporting why Keith payed Mancows charity. Maybe Sean should do it and come out smiling and say "It was like being caught in a rain storm, it's not torture you pansies!"

[Mulvaney]

If real waterboarding is more effective than Mancow's experience, it is all the more reason to think that it is torture. But the issue is not one that should be decided through subjective experience. I will not go through waterboarding just to see if I agree with it or not. Its been defined as torture and we have prosecuted others for it. Apparently, though, that does not extend to Republicans (although we are under a legal obligation to prosecute war crimes).

[johnnygoodwud]

mancow who started as a shock jock here in chicago has always been a media hound, attention seeking low life. welcome to the repub. party, you are in good hands.

[jlab]

Wouldn't this be the moment to give the dude some credit? I think his willingness to admit he was wrong is admirable. Good people can do questionable things, questionable people can do good things. Also: At least he had the guts to put his water where his mouth is.

[JessWonderin]

unlike the "hero" Hannity . . . .

[CtheB]

Thank you Mancow.

You are a man-of-truth...

[tripper69z]

Good job Mancow. You know you got the kindergarden form of waterboarding, and you still knew and admitted freely IT WAS TORTURE. I can respect that.

[NJmikeV]

Let Cook at Gawker and Gavin at the Herald give it a try themselves. Along with Hannity, of course.

[nohamasmas]

MANCOW..couldn't even control his wife and kids who kept mugging for the cameras behind him like 12-year old girls at a Milley Cyrus concert!! ......Butch up,Mancow!!

[JessWonderin]

point???

would "butch-up" have made it any LESS torture? Would we then need to do it 83 TIMES to really show the world how TOUGH Republicans are?

seems "waterboarding" has been defined and prosecuted by international and national courts as well as the Geneva Convention YEARS ago . . . . .

[jordan3189]

Easy on that "butch" talk with a maddow crowd.

[dnegri]

"Butch up" to what? Are you volunteering to undergo the experience yourself? That would be "butching up" - or whatever you're trying to say.

[salamanca1]

On 364 days of the year I absolutely despise "Mancow," Muller, but for him to endure waterboarding in the interest of saying it is NOT torture, and then to be honest enough to admit that it most definitely is (which, of course it has been acknowledged as for CENTURIES) in this political atmosphere, has made me, on this day, say, props to you Mancow, good on ya, mate.

[jordan3189]

If only liberals could ever admit they're wrong.

[lvadpro]

We admit we are wrong when someone can prove it factually, con. But I understand you don't believe in those silly things called FACTS.

Conversely, you can have every FACT thrown in your face, and you will discount everything. Such as ignoring the FACTS that torture didn't work, or that waterboarding is in FACT torture. Ironic, eh?

Quit 'projecting' everything you hate about yourself onto others. It is getting really pathetic.