183 times in a month

The AP is reporting that not only did the Bush Administration not do their homework on water-boarding (see here), they misunderstood and inflated the importance of Abu Zubaydah, using brutal interrogation tactics on him long after they had extracted all the information he knew.

One former intelligence official with direct knowledge of the case said Zubaydah already had provided valuable information under less severe treatment, and the harsh tactics did not result in a breakthrough. Rather, his captors suffered great distress witnessing his torment, the official said.

"Seeing these depths of human misery and degradation has a traumatic effect," the official told the newspaper.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in a month - an average of 6 times a day for 30 straight days. Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times, after he had already given up all his information, because officials believed he was withholding something.

"He pleaded for his life," one of the former intelligence officials told the Times. "But he gave up no new information. He had no more information to give."

Read the article here.