David Kronke was appointed Mayor of Television after a bloodless coup in 2000. Since then, he has improved infrastructure, championed greater educational opportunities and fought for reforms that have utterly erased corruption and incompetence from the television industry. Since Mr. Kronke has ascended to power, Television is a far better place. Is waterboarding torture? See for yourself on Current TV
In Congressional hearings last week, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey said he didn’t know if waterboarding was torture. (Wouldn’t having an opinion on that subject be, I don’t know, part of the Attorney General’s job description?)
Current TV invites Mr. Mukasey to watch its new newsmagazine show debuting this Wednesday, which will feature a report from 2006 in which correspondent Kaj Larsen (a former Navy SEAL) allowed himself to be waterboarded by former SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion) trainers. It'll be followed by the unedited footage of Larsen’s entire waterboarding ordeal, during which he’ll explain what he was going through at the time.
The process, which simulates drowning, generally lasts two or three minutes with most of those interrogated, an ex-SERE instructor explained in the original report. I met Larsen this afternoon, and he told me the first time he was waterboarded, as part of his SEAL training, he lasted about 30 seconds. For his report for Current, he was waterboarded for 24 minutes before segment producer Mitch Koss called an end to the proceedings.
Larsen was coughing up water for two days after undergoing the process, which the current administration declines to call torture, preferring instead the euphemism “coercive interrogation.” This week, John McCain’s campaign requested a copy of Larsen’s report, McCain being one of the few remaining conservatives in Washington who aren’t gung-ho about turning real life into an episode of “24.”
Perhaps Mr. Mukasey will be able to finally form an opinion after watching Larsen’s misadventure. As for everyone else: It’ll be the scariest thing you see this Halloween.
- Kaj Larsen on Waterboarding: 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PCT Wednesday, Current TV (Channel 366 on DirecTV, 196 on Dish, 107 on Comcast, 189 on AT&T U-Verse, 142 on Time Warner Digital in L.A.).