What is water boarding?
In October 2007, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey drew criticism for his refusal to characterize water boarding, a controversial interrogation technique considered by many to be illegal, as torture. Mukasey, a retired federal judge nominated by President Bush, dodged the question in his confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, stating that “if [water boarding] amounts to torture, it is not constitutional,” but never explicitly condemning it [source: NPR]. His response prompted several senators on the committee to declare that they would oppose Mukasey’s nomination as Attorney General unless he denounces water boarding as a form of torture. Nevertheless, Mukasey was confirmed and served under President Bush. Mukasey’s nomination wasn’t the first time the Bush administration faced controversy over what it considered appropria
