Con Coughlin
Encyclopedia
Con Coughlin is a British journalist and author, currently an editor for the Daily Telegraph.
, England
, the son of the Daily Telegraph crime correspondent C.A. Coughlin. The eldest of four children (his younger brother is Vincent Coughlin QC) he grew up in Upminster
, Essex
. Raised as a Roman Catholic
, at the age of 11 he won a scholarship to Christ’s Hospital. At 18 he won a scholarship to read Modern History at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he specialised in the Industrial Revolution
under the tutelage of the historian Simon Schama
.
After graduating with an upper second, in August 1977 Coughlin joined the Thomson Regional Newspapers graduate trainee course and after undertaking his initial training in Cardiff served out his indentures as a trainee reporter with the Reading Evening Post
. In 1980 Coughlin was offered a position on the Daily Telegraph as a general news reporter, and joined the staff in November of that year.
As a young reporter based at the Daily Telegraph’s Fleet Street offices he was initially given responsibility for covering a number of major crime stories, such as the arrest of Peter Sutcliffe
, the notorious Yorkshire Ripper and the Brixton riots.
Coughlin then became a foreign correspondent. His first big assignment was to cover the American invasion of Grenada in late 1983. From there he was sent to Beirut to cover the Lebanese civil war
where he developed his interest in the Middle East
and international terrorism. After the Telegraph group was bought in 1985 by the Canadian businessman Conrad Black
Coughlin was appointed the Daily Telegraph’s Middle East correspondent by Max Hastings
, the newspaper’s new editor.
Coughlin opened the newspaper’s new bureau in Jerusalem, and spent the next three years covering a multitude of stories throughout the region. In April 1986 he narrowly escaped being kidnapped by Hezbollah gunmen in Beirut, the day before another British journalist John McCarthy
was kidnapped. In March 2009 Coughlin recalled this experience in a programme for BBC Radio 4
, My Alter Ego . In 1989 Coughlin returned to London, where he transferred to the Sunday Telegraph
and was appointed the newspaper’s chief foreign correspondent. During the next few years he received several promotions, becoming Foreign Editor in 1997 and Executive Editor in 1999. The following year the Sunday Telegraph won the prestigious “newspaper of the year” award at the British Press Awards .
He was an analyst for CNN during the Iraq war, and also appeared regularly on Fox News, CBS, NBC and ABC. After the war he worked as an analyst for the NBC/MSNBC network. Today he broadcasts regularly on American and British television and radio on a range of international issues, especially in relation to Afghanistan, the Middle East, defence and global security.
In 2006 Coughlin rejoined the Daily Telegraph as the newspaper’s Defence and Security Editor after a brief spell writing for the Daily Mail, and later that year was promoted Executive Foreign Editor. He writes a weekly column, Inside Abroad, and comments on a broad range of subjects, with a special interest in defence and security issues, the Middle East and international terrorism.
He now maintains a blog on the Daily Telegraph's website.
In 2002 Coughlin published a biography of Saddam Hussein
. The American edition, Saddam: King of Terror (ECCO) was a New York Times bestseller in 2003, and received international critical acclaim .
His next book, American Ally: Tony Blair and the War on Terror (ECCO, 2006) was nominated Kirkus Reviews books of the year. In 2009 Coughlin published Khomeini’s Ghost (Macmillan, London, and ECCO, New York) a study of the life of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his impact on the radicalisation of the Islamic world during the past thirty years. Historian Dominic Sandbrook
, reviewing Khomeini's Ghost in The Observer
, writes: "Readers already familiar with recent Iranian history will not discover much new information in Coughlin's account, but it nevertheless makes a very readable and entertaining introduction to a nation badly misunderstood in the west. And while Coughlin makes no secret of his deep antipathy to the Iranian regime, his treatment of its founder is satisfyingly nuanced". Other reviews, such as the one published in The New York Times by Iranian-American journalist Azadeh Moaveni, however wrote that the book contained factual errors and misrepresentations of facts. The New York Times review also said that Coughlin took out of context documents in order to bolster his argument.
In addition Coughlin has regularly written for several other publications including the Spectator, the Daily Mail
, the Wall Street Journal and Atlantic Monthly. He has also appeared regularly on television and radio in Britain and the United States. During the 2003 Iraq War he was an analyst for CNN, and then became a foreign affairs analyst for MSNBC and NBC. In Britain he broadcasts regularly for the BBC and Sky News.
There was a reaction to this article in this British press, followed by a British court case in 2002, which was resolutely defended by the Telegraph Group and was eventually settled out of court without any damages being paid, and with both sides agreeing to pay their own costs.
Unsubstantiated allegations on the true origins of that article were first disclosed by Mark Hollingsworth, the biographer of the notorious MI5 whistleblower David Shayler
. Shayler working on MI5's Libya desk at the time, in liaison with his counterparts in the foreign espionage service (MI6), had come away with a detailed knowledge of events, including secret documents. Coughlin had falsely attributed the source to a "British banking official", however it had been MI6 officials, who had been supplying Coughlin with material for years.
The allegations against Coughlin were confirmed when the Sunday Telegraph was served with a libel writ by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. The paper was unable to back up its allegations but pleaded, that it had been supplied with the material by a government security agency. On 28 October 1998 a statement made by the paper described how, under Charles Moore's
editorship, a lunch had been arranged with the then Conservative Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind
, at which Coughlin had been present. Told by Rifkind that countries such as Iran
were trying to get hold of hard currency to beat sanctions
, Coughlin was later briefed by an MI6 man - his regular contact. Some weeks later, he was introduced to a second MI6 man, who spent several hours with him and handed over extensive details of the story about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. Although Coughlin asked for evidence, and was shown purported bank statements, the pleadings make clear that he was dependent on MI6 for the discreditable details about the alleged counterfeiting scam.
Throughout the formal pleadings, the Telegraph preserved the full identity of its sources by referring to a "Western government security agency". But this was exposed by solicitor David Hooper in his book on libel Reputations Under Fire, in which he says: "In reality [they were] members of MI6". In 2002 Geoffrey Robertson
QC made a statement on behalf of the Telegraph Group stating "there was no truth in the allegation that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi participated in any currency sting".
, one of the September 11 hijackers, and Iraqi intelligence at the time of Saddam Hussein. The memo was supposedly written by Iraqi security chief General Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti
to the president of Iraq. The report was subsequently challenged with American officials also reiterating that there was no such link.
The Daily Telegraphs exclusive report was picked up and repeated by several conservative columnists in the United States, including syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock
and William Safire
.
The Press Complaints Commission
rejected a series of complaints from the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran
, which had examined 44 articles written by Coughlin about Iran between 29 October 2005 and 10 October 2006 and made the following claims :
, has negotiated a deal with Iran for Tehran to make a $25 million contribution to the campaign funds of Turkey's ruling party.
Immediately after the publication of the article, Turkish Government refuted all allegations and asked the newspaper to remove Coughlin's article from its website. Justice and Development Party
also demanded an apology for publishing what it called an article without any sources but with many lies in it.
Daily Telegraph lost the libel lawsuit Erdogan filed in UK. As a result he won “a substantial sum” in libel damages and an apology was published in the paper.
an Al Qaeda suspect 183 times, Coughlin argued that "There are always two sides to a story, even a deeply unpleasant one such as waterboarding an al-Qaeda suspect", before asking "what if, as Mr Cheney
is now suggesting, these brutal interrogation methods actually produced information that saved lives by thwarting potential al-Qaeda attacks?". Coughlin suggested that the problem posed "an interesting ethical dilemma", namely "Are interrogation methods like waterboarding justified if they save lives, or should we respect the detainees' human rights, thereby enabling the terror attacks to take place and claim innocent lives? I know which option I'd go for."
Coughlin has persisted in writing articles supporting the use of torture, for example on February 10, 2010 "When the next bomb goes off in London, blame the judges".
Early years
He was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of the Daily Telegraph crime correspondent C.A. Coughlin. The eldest of four children (his younger brother is Vincent Coughlin QC) he grew up in Upminster
Upminster
Upminster is a suburban town in northeast London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan, and comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Raised as a Roman Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, at the age of 11 he won a scholarship to Christ’s Hospital. At 18 he won a scholarship to read Modern History at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he specialised in the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
under the tutelage of the historian Simon Schama
Simon Schama
Simon Michael Schama, CBE is a British historian and art historian. He is a University Professor of History and Art History at Columbia University. He is best known for writing and hosting the 15-part BBC documentary series A History of Britain...
.
After graduating with an upper second, in August 1977 Coughlin joined the Thomson Regional Newspapers graduate trainee course and after undertaking his initial training in Cardiff served out his indentures as a trainee reporter with the Reading Evening Post
Reading Evening Post
The Reading Post , is an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper features the Maiwand Lion, a famous local landmark at Forbury Gardens...
. In 1980 Coughlin was offered a position on the Daily Telegraph as a general news reporter, and joined the staff in November of that year.
Journalist
Coughlin has spent most of his journalistic career working for what is now the Telegraph Media Group.As a young reporter based at the Daily Telegraph’s Fleet Street offices he was initially given responsibility for covering a number of major crime stories, such as the arrest of Peter Sutcliffe
Peter Sutcliffe
Peter William Sutcliffe is a British serial killer who was dubbed "The Yorkshire Ripper". In 1981 Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attacking seven others. He is currently serving 20 sentences of life imprisonment in Broadmoor Hospital...
, the notorious Yorkshire Ripper and the Brixton riots.
Coughlin then became a foreign correspondent. His first big assignment was to cover the American invasion of Grenada in late 1983. From there he was sent to Beirut to cover the Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
where he developed his interest in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and international terrorism. After the Telegraph group was bought in 1985 by the Canadian businessman Conrad Black
Conrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour, OC, KCSG, PC is a Canadian-born member of the British House of Lords, and a historian, columnist and publisher, who was for a time the third largest newspaper magnate in the world. Lord Black controlled Hollinger International, Inc...
Coughlin was appointed the Daily Telegraph’s Middle East correspondent by Max Hastings
Max Hastings
Sir Max Hugh Macdonald Hastings, FRSL is a British journalist, editor, historian and author. He is the son of Macdonald Hastings, the noted British journalist and war correspondent and Anne Scott-James, sometime editor of Harper's Bazaar.-Life and career:Hastings was educated at Charterhouse...
, the newspaper’s new editor.
Coughlin opened the newspaper’s new bureau in Jerusalem, and spent the next three years covering a multitude of stories throughout the region. In April 1986 he narrowly escaped being kidnapped by Hezbollah gunmen in Beirut, the day before another British journalist John McCarthy
John McCarthy
- Government :* John McCarthy * John Thomas McCarthy , U.S. ambassador* John H. McCarthy , U.S. Representative from New York* John McCarthy , Nebraska Republican politician...
was kidnapped. In March 2009 Coughlin recalled this experience in a programme for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, My Alter Ego . In 1989 Coughlin returned to London, where he transferred to the Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
and was appointed the newspaper’s chief foreign correspondent. During the next few years he received several promotions, becoming Foreign Editor in 1997 and Executive Editor in 1999. The following year the Sunday Telegraph won the prestigious “newspaper of the year” award at the British Press Awards .
He was an analyst for CNN during the Iraq war, and also appeared regularly on Fox News, CBS, NBC and ABC. After the war he worked as an analyst for the NBC/MSNBC network. Today he broadcasts regularly on American and British television and radio on a range of international issues, especially in relation to Afghanistan, the Middle East, defence and global security.
In 2006 Coughlin rejoined the Daily Telegraph as the newspaper’s Defence and Security Editor after a brief spell writing for the Daily Mail, and later that year was promoted Executive Foreign Editor. He writes a weekly column, Inside Abroad, and comments on a broad range of subjects, with a special interest in defence and security issues, the Middle East and international terrorism.
He now maintains a blog on the Daily Telegraph's website.
Author
Coughlin is also the author of several books. His first book was Hostage: The Complete Story of the Lebanon Captives (Little, Brown 1992), which was followed by a study of the politics of modern Jerusalem, A Golden Basin Full of Scorpions which was BBC correspondent John Simpson’s “book of the year” and was described as “excellent, a brilliant book” by the distinguished author and critic A.N. Wilson.In 2002 Coughlin published a biography of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. The American edition, Saddam: King of Terror (ECCO) was a New York Times bestseller in 2003, and received international critical acclaim .
His next book, American Ally: Tony Blair and the War on Terror (ECCO, 2006) was nominated Kirkus Reviews books of the year. In 2009 Coughlin published Khomeini’s Ghost (Macmillan, London, and ECCO, New York) a study of the life of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his impact on the radicalisation of the Islamic world during the past thirty years. Historian Dominic Sandbrook
Dominic Sandbrook
Dominic Sandbrook http://dominicsandbrook.com/wordpress/about/ is a British historian. Born in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, he was educated at Malvern College...
, reviewing Khomeini's Ghost in The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, writes: "Readers already familiar with recent Iranian history will not discover much new information in Coughlin's account, but it nevertheless makes a very readable and entertaining introduction to a nation badly misunderstood in the west. And while Coughlin makes no secret of his deep antipathy to the Iranian regime, his treatment of its founder is satisfyingly nuanced". Other reviews, such as the one published in The New York Times by Iranian-American journalist Azadeh Moaveni, however wrote that the book contained factual errors and misrepresentations of facts. The New York Times review also said that Coughlin took out of context documents in order to bolster his argument.
In addition Coughlin has regularly written for several other publications including the Spectator, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, the Wall Street Journal and Atlantic Monthly. He has also appeared regularly on television and radio in Britain and the United States. During the 2003 Iraq War he was an analyst for CNN, and then became a foreign affairs analyst for MSNBC and NBC. In Britain he broadcasts regularly for the BBC and Sky News.
Criticism
Dealing with the controversial issues of Middle East peace, Coughlin has attracted criticism. Coughlin himself maintains that his critics are politically motivated, whilst they in turn allege that he himself places a political agenda above accuracy.Gaddafi legal case
Another example of the controversy Coughlin’s journalism has provoked was the response in November 1995 to an article Coughlin, then the Sunday Telegraph's chief foreign correspondent, published alleging that Saif Gaddafi was involved in a massive criminal operation with Iranian officials that involved counterfeit notes and money laundering in Europe based on information received by British intelligence and banking officials.There was a reaction to this article in this British press, followed by a British court case in 2002, which was resolutely defended by the Telegraph Group and was eventually settled out of court without any damages being paid, and with both sides agreeing to pay their own costs.
Unsubstantiated allegations on the true origins of that article were first disclosed by Mark Hollingsworth, the biographer of the notorious MI5 whistleblower David Shayler
David Shayler
David Shayler is a British journalist and former MI5 officer. Shayler earned notoriety after being prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act 1989 for his passing secret documents to the Mail on Sunday in August 1997 that alleged that MI5 was paranoid about socialists, and that it had previously...
. Shayler working on MI5's Libya desk at the time, in liaison with his counterparts in the foreign espionage service (MI6), had come away with a detailed knowledge of events, including secret documents. Coughlin had falsely attributed the source to a "British banking official", however it had been MI6 officials, who had been supplying Coughlin with material for years.
The allegations against Coughlin were confirmed when the Sunday Telegraph was served with a libel writ by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. The paper was unable to back up its allegations but pleaded, that it had been supplied with the material by a government security agency. On 28 October 1998 a statement made by the paper described how, under Charles Moore's
Charles Moore (journalist)
Charles Hilary Moore is a British journalist and former editor of The Daily Telegraph.-Early life:He was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge where he was awarded a BA in History and was a friend of Oliver Letwin.-Career:A former editor of The Spectator , the Sunday Telegraph and The...
editorship, a lunch had been arranged with the then Conservative Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
, at which Coughlin had been present. Told by Rifkind that countries such as Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
were trying to get hold of hard currency to beat sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
, Coughlin was later briefed by an MI6 man - his regular contact. Some weeks later, he was introduced to a second MI6 man, who spent several hours with him and handed over extensive details of the story about Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. Although Coughlin asked for evidence, and was shown purported bank statements, the pleadings make clear that he was dependent on MI6 for the discreditable details about the alleged counterfeiting scam.
Throughout the formal pleadings, the Telegraph preserved the full identity of its sources by referring to a "Western government security agency". But this was exposed by solicitor David Hooper in his book on libel Reputations Under Fire, in which he says: "In reality [they were] members of MI6". In 2002 Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey Ronald Robertson QC is an Australian-born human rights lawyer, academic, author and broadcaster. He holds dual Australian and British citizenship....
QC made a statement on behalf of the Telegraph Group stating "there was no truth in the allegation that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi participated in any currency sting".
Habbush letter
In late 2003, in a front-page exclusive story, Coughlin revealed a leaked intelligence memorandum, purportedly uncovered by Iraq's interim government, which detailed a meeting between Mohamed AttaMohamed Atta
Mohamed Mohamed el-Amir Awad el-Sayed Atta was one of the masterminds and the ringleader of the September 11 attacks who served as the hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 11, crashing the plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center as part of the coordinated attacks.Born in 1968...
, one of the September 11 hijackers, and Iraqi intelligence at the time of Saddam Hussein. The memo was supposedly written by Iraqi security chief General Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti
Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti
Tahir Jalil Habbush al Takriti is a former Iraqi intelligence official who served under the regime of Saddam Hussein. He is currently a fugitive.-Forged 2003 Habbush letter:...
to the president of Iraq. The report was subsequently challenged with American officials also reiterating that there was no such link.
The Daily Telegraphs exclusive report was picked up and repeated by several conservative columnists in the United States, including syndicated columnist Deroy Murdock
Deroy Murdock
Deroy Murdock is an American syndicated columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service and a contributing editor with National Review Online....
and William Safire
William Safire
William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter....
.
Iran
Coughlin has alleged that Iran is producing nerve gas and chemical weapons.The Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
rejected a series of complaints from the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran
Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran is a group of academics, students and professionals of Iranian and non-Iranian backgrounds formed to oppose sanctions on Iran by the United States.-History:...
, which had examined 44 articles written by Coughlin about Iran between 29 October 2005 and 10 October 2006 and made the following claims :
- Sources were unnamed or untraceable, often senior Western intelligence officials or senior Foreign Office officials.
- Articles were published at sensitive and delicate times where there had been relatively positive diplomatic moves towards Iran.
- Articles contained exclusive revelations about Iran combined with eye-catchingly controversial headlines.
- The story upon which the headline was based does not usually exceed one line or at the most one paragraph. The rest of the article focused on other, often unrelated, information.
Turkey
Coughlin alleged that the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
, has negotiated a deal with Iran for Tehran to make a $25 million contribution to the campaign funds of Turkey's ruling party.
Immediately after the publication of the article, Turkish Government refuted all allegations and asked the newspaper to remove Coughlin's article from its website. Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
also demanded an apology for publishing what it called an article without any sources but with many lies in it.
Daily Telegraph lost the libel lawsuit Erdogan filed in UK. As a result he won “a substantial sum” in libel damages and an apology was published in the paper.
Views on civil liberties of terrorist suspects
In April 2009, Coughlin wrote an article entitled "My advice to Obama: Don't pick a fight with Dick Cheney", which was published on the Daily Telegraph's website. In the article, which followed claims that US forces had waterboardedWaterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over the face of an immobilized captive, thus causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning...
an Al Qaeda suspect 183 times, Coughlin argued that "There are always two sides to a story, even a deeply unpleasant one such as waterboarding an al-Qaeda suspect", before asking "what if, as Mr Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
is now suggesting, these brutal interrogation methods actually produced information that saved lives by thwarting potential al-Qaeda attacks?". Coughlin suggested that the problem posed "an interesting ethical dilemma", namely "Are interrogation methods like waterboarding justified if they save lives, or should we respect the detainees' human rights, thereby enabling the terror attacks to take place and claim innocent lives? I know which option I'd go for."
Coughlin has persisted in writing articles supporting the use of torture, for example on February 10, 2010 "When the next bomb goes off in London, blame the judges".