How did the Bush administration justify the use of ""waterboarding"" and other harsh interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists?

Answer: By saying that it saved lives and distinguishing it from torture.

Explanation:

Even though Former President George Bush kept telling the American people that the Government does not use torture against it's detainees, he did admit that the CIA saved lives by using advanced 'interrogation' techniques on detainees.

Using a variety of legal rationale, the Administration aimed to prove that there was a difference between what the CIA did and what international law asserted to be torture and went so far as to say that such actions were only embarked on if the CIA felt an attack was incoming therefore justifying the use of such techniques against a few for the good of the many.