Attorney General Refuses to Say Whether Waterboarding is Torture

In a response to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Mukasey refused to give an official opinion on whether waterboarding is torture. The attorney general stated that the practice is not currently being used, and therefore it would be "irresponsible" for him to judge its legality (AP Story). The U.S. Army Field Manual has prohibited waterboarding for decades. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International consider waterboarding to be torture. Amnesty responded to Mukasey's earlier statements on the issue here.