Waterboarding Recounted  —  Ex-CIA Officer Says It 'Probably Saved Lives' but Is Torture  —  A former CIA officer who participated in the capture and questioning of the first al-Qaeda terrorist suspect to be waterboarded said yesterday that the harsh technique provided an intelligence breakthrough that …

Coming in From the Cold: CIA Spy Calls Waterboarding Necessary But Torture  —  Former Agent Says the Enhanced Technique Was Used on Al Qaeda Chief Abu Zubaydah  —  A leader of the CIA team that captured and interrogated the first major al Qaeda figure, Abu Zubaydah, says subjecting him to waterboarding was torture but necessary.

This Will Ruin Ted Kennedy's Day  —  From The New York Times: … Me: Let's see.  Ted Kennedy said the tapes were destroyed in response to the Democratic victory in 2006 in order to cover administration tracks in a Watergate-like cover-up.  The tapes were actually destroyed in 2005 …

G.O.P. Voters Are Uninspired by Candidates  —  Three weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Republicans voters across the country appear uninspired by their field of presidential candidates, with a vast majority saying they have not made a final decision about who to support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.