The ACLU has asserted that the practice of Extraordinary Rendition; the kidnapping and transport of suspect to foreign countries such as Egypt to be tortured "traces its roots to the administration of former President Bill Clinton." I find it doubtful that Hillary will prosecute the same CIA agents who followed Bill's instructions and engaged in the crime of Extraordinary Rendition. Additionally, I was disgusted to learn that Hillary Clinton stated on torture, "In those instances where we have sufficient basis to believe that there is something imminent, yeah, but then we've got to have a check and balance."

REF: aclu.org/safefree/extraordinaryrendition/22203res20051206.html

This is a real issue for me. I expect you will dismiss my real anger that Hillary recently condoned torture and Bill Clinton authorized Extraordinary Rendition by contemptuously and dismissively calling me a "Obama-cultist". Personally, I would have been fine with most any of The early Democratic Party candidates; but I specifically will not support the Clintons because of their approval or involvement in this barbarous and disgusting activity.

I believe the criminal organization we call the CIA has been torturing people since it was founded following WWII.

And even that one they've managed to build a religion around.

One is further compelled to wonder whether Hayden did all this on his own, or whether he had a little prompting from behind the scenes. (I think I know the answer....) If the latter, of course, we want to know the prompters and how they prompted him.

I understand and share all the outrage - frankly, Hayden and the rest of them should be glad I'm not in Congress - but what I cannot and will not understand are the trolls who insist on trying to make light of actual torture being practiced by the United States Government for any purpose.  These trolls are, perhaps, even lower-life pieces of sh*t than are the criminals doing the actual torturing or ordering it.  

And, as to those who think the torturers will have gotten away with something when they are not (or are only perfunctorily) prosecuted for their crimes, history teaches they'll be prudent to be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their days.  

Finally, to those commenters who think along the lines of

"Oh, I'm outraged by the torture but won't really pay too much attention to it because I'm just so excited Bush will not be in the White House come next January and a new era comprised entirely of halcyon days will dawn to the tune of songbirds singing the name of [insert favorite candidate here] and I'll just bounce up and down in place here waiting on that day to arrive and isn't candidate [insert name] just dreamy and the other side's a total meanie and no one could ever vote for them so we're gonna win",

I say the following:

1.  Stop acting like the screaming teenaged broads chasing The Beatles and crying incoherently from joy, as featured in the movie last night - "A Hard Day's Night".  You know what I'm talking about.  This is about politics, power and gaining it.  It is not pretty and it is most definitely not nice.  So, remove the scales from your eyes, already.
   
2.  Just because there's an election scheduled for next November doesn't mean it will happen.
   
3.  Just because Bush and Cheney are scheduled to leave office in January, 2009 doesn't mean that will happen.
   
4.  Just because there's an election scheduled for next November and even assuming it does happen, does not necessarily mean that the Democratic candidate will win it.  This, because:
   

Grow up.  Work hard to elect More Democrats and Better Democrats.

From wikipedia, about the Filipino legislator and, later, Associate Justice of their Supreme Court, Gregorio Perfecto:

"In 1934, Perfecto was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Convention that drafted the 1935 Constitution. After the constitution had been drafted, Perfecto had a doctor open a vein in his arm so he could sign the document using his own blood as ink."

He was then about three years post having an attack of polio which had paralyzed his legs.

Oh, and he was a big fan of habeas against military detention and of the rights of the accused, too:

Perfecto's separate opinions give a clearer indication of his jurisprudential philosophy. His firm libertarian views were fully expressed in several dissents. In Raquiza v. Bradford, 75 Phil. 50 (1945), he voted to grant habeas corpus to three Filipinos detained by the United States military as Japanese spies, despite a proclamation from General Douglas MacArthur ordering the indefinite detention of Filipinos who collaborated with the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. In Moncado v. People's Court, 80 Phil. 1 (1948), the majority refused to adopt the exclusionary rule as a consequence of an illegal search or seizure. Perfecto wrote in dissent: "May the government profit from an illegality, an unconstitutional act, or even a crime to serve its aims, including the loftiest? May justice be administered by making use of the fruits of a lawless action?"

The lies, hypocrisy, incompetence, callousness, and fiscal profligacy of the W years will be a burden on the US for generations, making us more vulnerable, less respected, and infinitely weaker than had rational folk been in charge.

It is my understanding that this technique was used on very high level targets and that it did reveal actionable intelligence that was used by the CIA and our government.

I honestly don't have a problem with waterboarding in extreme circustances when it is in a time of war which this period was when it happened.

I think the hullaballoo is being pumped up by people as a way to attack the War on Terror, Iraq and Bush in genearl when it really doesn't have anything to do with any of it.

If the CIA only did it when they are now saying they did it I have no problems with it.  If they let anyone do it whenever they want then of course it is a problem.