Bachmann urges tough tactics on terror

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Republican U.S. presidential candidate Michele Bachmann defended waterboarding Sunday, saying the interrogation practice can yield useful intelligence.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Minnesota congresswoman said solid intelligence was vital to combating terrorism.

"The CIA is no longer able to go through the interrogation that yielded such profitable information that saved American lives," Bachmann said.

Bachmann chided the Obama administration for mixed results in the struggle against al-Qaida. She said while drone attacks and the slaying of Osama bin Laden were success stories, the administration has also hampered the war by discontinuing rough interrogations and moving to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"When we capture them today, it's a slap on the wrist," she said. "I want to save American lives, and that's why I want the CIA to have every interrogation tool available to them so that we can win the war on terror."