How and/or why was the CIA's waterboarding revealed?

Did this come out because of the investigation of NSA wiretapping?
Had some of you already heard about it long before the CIA's admission?

In retrospect, it seems that it was admitted without much fuss or denial.
Am I remembering this correctly?

Thanks!

This is "Whole Sale" torture which is what is so shocking

Reality is all countries engage in some torture in very select very critical circumstances. What the Bush administration and out-sourcing has done is use torture techniques in an assembly line like process, engaging in the "Wholesale application of torture to almost every prisoner they detained"

Even if the person did not rate a "High-Value" target but was rather a peasant farmer turned in by angry neighbors

because I am naturally suspicious when liars suddenly tell the truth.

If we were torturing detainees, someday, someway, it will come out. The Bush crew has known that all along. Revealing it in increments could have been a way to cushion the blow or even stop further investigation. Like admitting that, yes, we tortured. And, by the way, here is what torture is. Its waterboarding. And then Fox news drills it into the public's heads that its not THAT bad because, hey, even our own reporters are letting it be done to themselves to see what its like.

It seems that now, when certain people hear references to torture, they automatically assume it means water boarding. And they don't seem to have that much of a problem with it.

I have to admit that I have been listening to entirely too much right wing radio over the last month and, I swear, every time a possible investigation into torture is mentioned, both callers and hosts immediately jump to water boarding. They always conclude that since torture = water boarding and since water boarding isn't bad then torture isn't bad. Its just us liberals who hate Bush so much that we will feign outrage over this harmless little practice and the fact that some terrorists got wet.

I am suspicious that this was a way to control the narrative and to minimize the inevitable public pressure to put Bush/ Cheney/ Rumsfeld on trial.

Then again, this could be a ridiculous conspiracy theory if its as simple as the Iraqis reporting it to the Red Cross.

Admitting to waterboarding was a "limited hangout" to draw attention away from the more extreme forms of torture that were being used.

It also sent the message out that they did not give a rats ass what anyone thinks along with the not so subtle hint/suggestion that they would torture anyone that stood in their way.
It also sent a signal to law enforcement agencys nationwide that the federal govt would be overlooking transgressions at the local/state level.