"Mr Thiessen has written in to let us know that he certainly does not consider "enhanced interrogation" or the treatment of Abu Zubaydah torture, and we should not have implied as much. ABC News has reported that Mr Zubaydah was "slapped, grabbed, made to stand long hours in a cold cell, and finally handcuffed and strapped feet up to a water board until after 0.31 seconds [sic] he begged for mercy and began to cooperate". (Mr Kiriakou says it took about 35 seconds.) So, for the record, we want to clarify that Mr Thiessen should not be attributed with the argument that torture is effective because he does not believe that these techniques are torture. The Economist disagrees on that last point," - The Economist.
Thiessen's position is that of the Gestapo. The United States has executed war criminals who once did exactly these things to prisoners.