The answer is a definite YES regarding the question did waterboarding yield actionable intelligence and thwart terrorist plots.

Waterboarding is not torture, and the top guys that gave us the information were never going to give us information any other way. Waterboarding is the worse thing that happened to them as far as I have ever read.

We have known this about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (the 9-11 mastermind) for several years. He lasted longer under waterboarding than anyone would ever have imagined. I think it was somewhere near two and a half minutes. Most people can't go 30 to 40 seconds.

Every single terrorist that is detained tells everyone within earshot that he has been tortured. That is a tactic that is contained within the Al Qaeda Manual as far as procedures in case of capture.

They know very well how to game our system. They are not stupid.

The CIA had to destroy those tapes. CIA employees were in the tapes. God only knows what intelligence information was disclosed and discussed that could be dangerous if those tapes got into the wrong hands... such as the media. I'm sure there are other reasons too.

Interrogations regarding national security are not the same as the local police questioning a suspect in something like a burglary. There are wide ranging implications.

It's not as simple as the media would like to portray it for their agenda.