although they were also charged with a host of other atrocities. Water torture was one of the main ones.

http://www.politifact.com/virginia/statements/2015/jan/12/bobby-scott/bobby-scott-after-wwii-us-executed-japanese-war-cr/

No tapping out allowed.

But - America boisterously entertained the warped notion that it was all a matter of debate and definition; and that those calling torture by it's rightful name were politically motivated - instead of being just plain accurate. It wasn't just pundits and assorted other talking heads doing this - our own DOJ gave torture the cover of legality by the bending and stretching of the law - as well as the outright intentional denial of the law.

So, as a result, miscreants like Cruz can say such things. And supporting events (or lack of) seems to back them up. After all, if it was torture, wouldn't Bush and Cheney be in prison right now? I mean, if America really was about the "rule of law" and giving a fuck about humanity and all that.

Of course, I could be jaded.

Now that we're looking forward, sociopaths like Ted Cruz can bring torture to a new audience and get their approval.