Expect the dodge Romney used when asked about waterboarding in 2007:

I do not believe as a presidential candidate it is wise for us to describe precisely what techniques we will use when interrogating people.



Here's how the questioner can retort: "I'm not asking precisely what techniques you would use, Governor Romney, the question is about what techniques you definitely wouldn't use. So are you saying it is possible you'd order that water be forced down the throat of a bound man until it filled his lungs? Or do you think that crosses the line into torture, which you've previously said that you won't countenance?"

If he again says, "I do not believe as a presidential candidate it is wise for us to describe precisely what techniques we will use when interrogating people," it's crucial to keep pestering him. I'd suggest, "Governor Romney, surely you don't mind reassuring us that it would be wrong to drill holes in the testicles of a prisoner, or to soak his hair in gasoline and light it on fire. That is right, isn't it?"

(Pause.)

"So why can't you tell us whether you think it's okay to force water down their throats and into their lungs? Isn't it meaningless to tell us you're against torture if you won't explain how you define it?"

What do you think, Jim Lehrer, moderator of debate No. 1?

Odds are long against anyone adopting my script, of course, but I do hope describing the act rather than labeling it catches on. It really forces everyone to confront the reality of what's being done. For those who want to learn more about that reality, two pieces of recommended reading: the essay Christopher Hitchens wrote after volunteering to be "waterboarded," and this chilling story from an American who went through training in how to survive the techniques Bush used.

