Fact is, what Cheney actually said, in response to a talk-show host's (Scott Hennen, a conservative radio show host from Fargo, N.D.) question "Would you agree a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?" was that "it's a no-brainer for me," but for a while there, I was criticized as being the vice president for torture. We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in." The White House has distinguished between "dunking" and "waterboarding", although neither, IMHO, exactly amounts to compassionate conservatism..