Your ugly reflection, America

Listening to NPR Monday, I heard an amazing comment from one of the guests on Talk of the Nation. Torture was the subject, specifically waterboarding.
I was shocked to hear one of the guests express regret that one of the desired effects of waterboarding - the sense of drowning - would no longer be fatally convincing enough to loosen the tongues of anyone tortured with it. He blamed this on the media for leaking knowledge that waterboarding was essentially a "safe" practice.
Neal Conan was quick to correct his guest that the media had nothing to do with the actual leaking - they were the ones who reported it.
Conan unfortunately didn't say, "Get this Nazi Heinrich Himmler motherfucker off my show and deport him back to the goddamned middle ages." No - he weakly defended his chickenshit profession as if he sometimes finds it personally distasteful to have to tattle on the naughty behaviour of the big boys.

I think it's safe to presume the guest has never been subjected to waterboarding - smugly crossing his arms and tittering "Hit me with your best shot, guys" to some shadowy foreign agents. Afterwards, wiping his face dry with a fluffy clean towel and joyously marvelling how the experience didn't leave any marks. "You'll have to do better than that if you want grandma's oatmeal cookie recipe, tough guy," he says with a darling smile...
Right.

House Votes to Ban Harsh CIA Methods

The White House threatened to veto the measure this week in a lengthy
statement, highlighting more than 11 areas of disagreement with the bill.

The administration particularly opposes restricting the CIA to
interrogation methods approved by the military in 2006. That document prohibits
forcing detainees to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner;
placing hoods or sacks over detainees' heads or duct tape over their eyes;
beating, shocking, or burning detainees; threatening them with military dogs;
exposing them to extreme heat or cold; conducting mock executions; depriving
them of food, water, or medical care; and waterboarding.

Methods. Not Torture.

Take a good look America.
This is your face. Tell me it's not leaving any marks.