Washington, Apr. 23 : Former U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been out of the spotlight, earning up to 150,000 dollars for speaking engagements and lunching with celebrities like American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

But the political spotlight is turning toward her again through a 232-page report released this week by the Senate Armed Services Committee that says Rice and several other Bush administration officials approved the use of water boarding and other interrogation techniques.

According to CBS News, Rice as Bush''s National Security Adviser, gave her approval to CIA Director George Tenet to proceed with interrogation methods, including water boarding and stress positions, used by the CIA on detainees.

Speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee last year, Rice said she didn't recall details regarding White House meetings about CIA interrogation techniques.

The Washington Post noted that in 2005 Rice said, "The United States government does not authorize or condone torture of detainees. Torture, and conspiracy to commit torture, are crimes under U. S. law, wherever they may occur in the world."

The controversy rests on the definition of torture. Memos released this week show that government lawyers struggled with the definition, but at this point most people in Washington and around the world would categorize water boarding as a classical form of torture-simulated drowning.

President Obama has left the door open to prosecution of those involved in approving water boarding. (ANI)