Seriously.

In response to a question during a speech at the University of Colorado last night, Ashcroft said he’d be willing to do it:

The first question came from a woman who asked if Ashcroft would be willing to be subjected to waterboarding.

“The things that I can survive, if it were necessary to do them to me, I would do,” he said.

Ah, but talk is cheap. If waterboarding really isn’t torture - really isn’t a big deal - then Ashcroft and the others who advocate it should put their money where their mouths are. On national TV, maybe; then we could all see how the issue has been overblown, as Ashcroft begs for mercy.

It’s telling that one of the few Republicans who has actually been waterboarded - John McCain - has been opposed to it. Because he did undergo it - and he knows it’s torture.