Poll: 71 percent believe that waterboarding is torture.

[Canuckistanian]

Greg Sargent notes that despite the media's reluctance to describe it as such, a new poll out today by the New York Times and CBS News found that 71 percent of Americans consider waterboarding to be "a form of torture":



The poll also found that 87 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. health care system needs to be fundamentally changed or rebuilt completely. Additionally, 42 percent said that they believe gay couples should be allowed to marry, an increase of nine percentage points from March 2009. In total, 67 percent support either same-sex marriage or civil unions.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/28/poll-waterboarding-torture/

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/torture/despite-dc-media-reticence-huge-majority-says-waterboarding-is-torture/

http://documents.nytimes.com/new-york-times-cbs-news-poll-obama-s-100th-day-in-office

http://documents.nytimes.com/new-york-times-cbs-news-poll-obama-s-100th-day-in-office#p=16

[mikelgb]

1. Even if only 2% "believed" is was torture it would still be fucking torture!

[Dawgs]

2. Anyone else notice that the crazy percentage has dropped from 35% to 29% in many of these polls?

A couple of years ago the number of people that supported Bush and the Republican policies would fall to no less than 35%. Now, it seems that many polls are making it down to the high 20's.

Am I wrong here?

[Jennicut]

3. Yup. They are becoming a smaller and smaller minority.

Good to gay marriage get more support.

[Zodiak]

4. Non-ideological authoritarians

And right now...we are the authority, so they ally generally with us.

That might explain about 6% or so.

[Clio the Leo]

5. But the problem is, not nearly that many understand that torture is illegal...

.... which is the problem.

The matter shouldn't be put to a popular vote, but it doesn't help things. A pretty good chunk of the population are going to ne ok with the notion that "torturing our enemies" is justified.

[Canuckistanian]

6. That's true, the "popular vote" shouldn't matter

But actually, I see the pro-torture people as xenophobes. Nobody's talking about torturing Americans here.
They're talking about some "furriners" halfway around the world.