Obama says Bush-approved waterboarding was torture

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama called simulated drowning a form of torture on Wednesday, and defended his decision to end a practice used against terrorism suspects by the Bush administration.

Obama said the process, known as waterboarding, violated American ideals and was not appropriate even if it made getting information from suspected enemies easier.

"Waterboarding violates our ideals and our values. I do believe that it is torture," he told a news conference.

"That's why I put an end to these practices."

Pressed on whether that meant former President George W. Bush's administration had sanctioned torture, Obama said: "I believe that waterboarding was torture. And I think that ... whatever legal rationales were used, it was a mistake."

Many experts say harsh interrogations lead to unreliable information because a person will say anything to stop them.

Obama said intelligence that may have resulted from the technique could have been elicited through other methods.

"We could have gotten this information in other ways, in ways that were consistent with our values, in ways that were consistent with who we are," he said.