Karl Rove Says He's "Proud" of Waterboarding, Interrogation Tactics
President Bush's senior political adviser Karl Rove said in an interview this week he is proud that the United States used waterboarding in its efforts to prevent terrorist attacks and that the extreme interrogation method is not torture. Speaking to the BBC, Rove also said, however, that reasonable people may disagree about whether it is torture.
"I'm proud that we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists and gave us valuable information that allowed us to foil plots such as flying airplanes into Heathrow and into London, bringing down aircraft over the Pacific, flying an airplane into the tallest building in Los Angeles and other plots," Rove said. "Yes, I'm proud that we kept the world safer than it was, by the use of these techniques. They're appropriate, they're in conformity with our international requirements and with U.S. law."
When pressed on whether waterboarding is torture, Rove said unequivocally, "No, it's not." He added that "reasonable people can disagree... This isn't something about which we can argue. It is not a situation of black and white."
The BBC asked Rove about an assertion from the former head of MI5, the Britain intelligence service, who said that former President Bush and his advisers were inspired by the Fox television show "24" to pursue a "war on terror."
"That's laughable," Rove said. "I know President Bush, he doesn't watch television much except for sporting events; same with Secretary [of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld. While Vice President Cheney was a fan of '24,' he is fully capable of distinguishing between fact and fiction."
Rove has made media appearances recently to promote his new book.