Conservative Radio Host Mancow vs Waterboard: H2 Oh, Lord, Please Stop

According to NBC Washington, conservative radio host Mancow (nee Erich Muller) put his money where Sean Hannity's mouth is, agreeing to be waterboarded, hoping to prove the technique isn't torture:

Mancow decided to tackle the divisive issue head on -- actually it was head down, while restrained and reclining.

"I want to find out if it's torture," Mancow told his listeners Friday morning, adding that he hoped his on-air test would help prove that waterboarding did not, in fact, constitute torture.

According to the man administering the waterboard, the average person lasts 14 seconds. Place your bets now, folks, then see how Mancow did:



According to the tape, Mancow lasted about 6 seconds. NBC also has this comical detail:

Witnesses said Muller thrashed on the table, and even instantly threw the toy cow he was holding as his emergency tool to signify when he wanted the experiment to stop. He only lasted 6 or 7 seconds.

He thought this was going to be such a walk in the park, such a goofy photo-op, he brought a toy cow with him to drop when he got bored with it.

I've seen Mancow on TV before, doing guest shots on cable news shows, and I like him. I was never convinced that his "radio guy" voice wasn't a put-on, but apparently he really talks like that. It's a shame it had to be him, and not Hannity. To his credit, Mancow had the courage to admit that he was not just wrong, but really, really wrong.

Look, whether you support torture or not, the idea that these techniques aren't torture is completely counter-intuitive. Proponents argue that these are hardened terrorists who can resist normal interrogations. If these techniques aren't that harsh, what good could they possibly do?

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