Whoever believes that water boarding is not torture (ex. Gonzo and Mukasey) should read Evan Wallach’s report for the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law. How do we know it is torture? Well because United States has tried and convicted people for water boarding on several occasions.
The United States tried a significant number of Class B and C war criminals before national tribunals. Among them were several conducted at Yokohama, Japan and one in the Philippines which elicited compelling descriptions of water torture from its victims, and which resulted in severe punishment for its perpetrators.
Code Pink’s has a good video of public demonstration of water boarding on youtube. Below is a demonstration for Sen. Diane Feinstein.