Hannity, Waterboarding, and Mancow

Readers may recall that last month Fox News commentator Sean Hannity said that he was so confident that waterboarding was not torture that he was willing to be waterboarded for charity with the money going to help troops and their families. Keith Olbermann took Hannity up on the offer, pledging to donate $1000 to charity for every second that Hannity took of waterboarding. At the time, I saw this as a win-win situation, since I would get to see Hannity tortured and I'd get to see Olbermann have to part with his money. Unfortunately, Hannity did not respond to Olbermann's request. However, someone else did. Mancow Muller, a conservative radio host, contacted Olbermann and volunteered to be waterboarded:



Mancow has now joined Christopher Hitchens in the category of people who didn't think that waterboarding was torture until they agreed to be subject to it. Hitchens and Mancow both deserve credit for being willing to go through with it and for being honest enough to change their opinions after experiencing waterboarding.

Olbermann rescinded his offer to Hannity and gave the money for Mancow's ordeal. However, we are in luck. Because there is now a website where you can pledge money to be paid if Hannity undergoes waterboarding. As a poor graduate student, I've pledged $10 per a second of time spent waterboarding. Many people have pledged similar amounts or more. As of right now, if Hannity is waterboarded for 5 seconds, that will be $67,869 to charity. Go pledge.