Politics

Poll Finds Americans Overwhelmingly Support ‘Torture’

Derek Hunter Contributor
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Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinstein had hoped the release of the Democratic Party’s “torture report” would turn the American people against the enhanced interrogation techniques used to extract information from known terrorists like 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammad.

It didn’t.

In fact, upon learning of waterboarding, “rectal rehydration” and all the other tactics the CIA used to protect American lives, the American people let out a collective yawn.

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows broad support across every demographic for the concept of torture of suspected terrorists.

Asked if torture was ever justified, only those who identified as “liberal,” having no religion, or a “liberal Democrat” had a 30 percent or greater response saying torture was never justified.

Of all adults, 40 percent said torture was sometimes justified, 17 percent said it was often justified, 19 percent said it was rarely justified, and only 20 percent said it was never justified.

Across every demographic — race, income, education, political, age, location — a majority of each group find torture acceptable in at least some circumstances.