msnbc.com staff and news service reports updated 2 hours 14 minutes ago 2011-05-12T18:31:51

WASHINGTON — Waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques were not a factor in tracking down Osama bin Laden, a leading Republican senator insisted Thursday.

Sen. John McCain, who spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, also rejected the argument that any form of torture is critical to U.S. success in the fight against terrorism.

"Generosity. That was my first mistake."
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