Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied Monday that the U.S. is engaging in torture and defended how the Bush administration’s waging of the so-called war on terror. Rice’s comments came ahead of a trip to Europe where she is expected to be questioned about the existence of secret CIA prisons and about the CIA’s practice of kidnapping wanted individuals overseas. Rice did not deny the U.S. has secretly picked up detainees overseas and flying them to other countries but she denied this is being done “for the purpose of being tortured.” “The United States does not permit, tolerate, or condone torture under any circumstances. Moreover, in accordance with the policy of this administration, the United States has respected and will continue to respect the sovereignty of other countries,” Rice said. “The U.S. does not transport and has not transported detainees from one country to another for the purpose of being tortured. The United States does not use the airspace or the airports of any country for the purpose of transporting a detainee to a country where he or she will be tortured.”