Is water boarding torture?

[Mitch]

Recently, the grand president of the United States Vetoed a bill that would ban the use of water boarding.
Water boarding is used against alleged criminals to 'encourage' them the talk. It simulates drowning and seems to me to be quite painful.

Personally, YES, this is torture.

[Ed Jones]

Yes, waterboarding is torture.

So what though? Don't want tortured, don't commit the crime.

[Mitch]

Well, the thing is, these are ALLEGED terrorists that are getting tortured in this fashion the most. They use this technique to FIND OUT if they're guilty, the don't usually know yet.

[Ed Jones]

I see no problem with this. Better them than a few hundred innocent civilians.

[Coll]

Sure, it's torture, but when was the last time excessive pain ever hurt anyone?

[Locke]

Many of the detainees haven't even been provided fair trial and most have not committed any crime (the immorality of that action being in question.)
As Borghunter stated, they are only alleged terrorists.

[Cattraknoff]

What if they decided to use these methods on political dissidents rather than "terrorists"? Constitutional exceptions cannot be allowed, whatever the justifications may be. It can and will be abused.

[bigdoglj52]

Water boarding is defenintly torture and should to be allowed! If I did not commit a crime and I was "water boarded" (tortured) i would admit to a crime i didnt do. Call me weak but, I would not want to endore the physical pain!

[Locke]

This is rather about the definition of torture than the definition of water-boarding. It is disheartening that torture, to the government, seems to fall only within the borders of life-threatening practices.