Posted on 09/13/2006 3:26:16 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - Negotiations between the White House and a trio of powerful GOP senators snagged Wednesday over Bush administration demands that Congress reinterpret the nation's treaty obligations to allow tough CIA interrogations of terrorism suspects.
Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said his panel would meet Thursday to finalize an alternative to President Bush's plan to prosecute terror suspects and redefine acts that constitute war crimes. Warner said he was aware the White House may come out in opposition of his legislation.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that Bush's court system established to prosecute terrorism suspects was illegal and violated the Geneva Conventions. Since then, Congress and the administration have been drafting legislation that would authorize Bush to continue with the military commissions.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John Warner, R-Va., left, and committee member, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. meet reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2006 after a meeting with Republican members of the Senate and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden regarding military tribunals. At center is Warner's press secretary John Ullyot. (AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)
CIA Director Michael Hayden, seen here in May 2006, said Al-Qaeda's core leadership has been decimated and more than 5,000 "terrorists" have been captured or killed in the five years since the September 11 attacks on the United States.(AFP/File/Mandel Ngan)
US President George W. Bush(R) speaks while touring the operations center at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia with CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden(L), and Director of the center Vice Admiral John 'Scott' Redd. Bush pointed to last week's alleged plot in Britain to bomb US-bound airliners as evidence that the US-led war on terrorism will last "for years to come."(AFP/Tim Sloan)
President Bush speaks to reporters after attending a briefing at the National Counterterrorism Center in McLean, Virginia August 15, 2006. Behind Bush from left are White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend, CIA Director Michael Hayden and Vice Admiral John Scott Redd, director of the National Counterterrorism Center. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Mark Levin was going ballistic over this on the radio a few minutes ago. If he's anywhere close to being on target on this and I strongly suspect he is, then somebody needs to read some sort of a riot act to the three supposedly GOP senators.
I suppose JAG Boy Graham is among the three.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/pentagon/interviews/graham.html
He's got a couple of folks on his staff who lead him into this stuff. Time somebody in the Majority Leader's office pulled their security clearances.
A good start.
McCain needs to remember that regardless of what rules they put in place for US, the terrorists aren't going to follow them. It's hard and deadly to be the cheek turner these days. I say we fight them with their own tactics and see how they like it. But of course that would be wrong wouldn't it?
Where was the big "clash" in that story?
And who's the third Senator?
Something tells me McCain and Graham are shooting for the WH in 2008 as a team. Isn't Graham from SC and wasn't it SC that McCain lost to Bush in 2000?
Wonderful, a loose cannon and a panty-wearing lawyer heading up the Republican Ticket
Hello Hillary
lol.. I'll update the thread as they come up. this is 'developing' as they say.. title will likely change too
the 3 senators ,, warner, mccain, graham is what it sounds like..
a loose cannon and a panty-wearing lawyer
a team you can Depends on..
Not wrong at all. I come from the Atilla-the-Hun school of military response....give them worse than they give you! Far worse. I would have destroyed cities in the Middle East immediately and killed thousands in days until they begged me to take bin Laden off their hands. This enemy understands violence. We need to teach them a lesson in violence.
--
WASHINGTON - Negotiations between the White House and a trio of powerful GOP senators snagged Wednesday over Bush administration demands that Congress reinterpret the nation's treaty obligations to allow tough CIA interrogations of terrorism suspects.
Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said his panel would meet Thursday to finalize an alternative to President Bush's plan to prosecute terror suspects and redefine acts that constitute war crimes. Warner said he was aware the White House may come out in opposition of his legislation.
The Supreme Court ruled in June that Bush's court system established to prosecute terrorism suspects was illegal and violated the Geneva Conventions. Since then, Congress and the administration have been drafting legislation that would authorize Bush to continue with the military commissions.
"The credibility of the United States is very much a factor in this negotiation," said Warner. The Virginia Republican said another Supreme Court ruling against Bush's policies in the war on terror would deal a "severe blow."
At issue primarily is the administration's suggestion to rule that an existing ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment meets the nation's obligations under the treaty. A section of the Geneva Conventions telling with prisoner treatment, Common Article 3, goes much farther. Officials have said they believe Common Article 3 is too vague.
Graham said CIA Director Michael Hayden told Republican senators this week that the CIA interrogation program would fail unless Congress passed Bush's plan — an assertion Graham said was "over the line."
The White House legislation would cause a "ripple effect of monumental proportions" because it would invite other nations to revise their interpretation of the Geneva Convention standards, said Graham, R-S.C.
As an American citizen i refuse to recognize or honor the so called rights of terrorists!I do not care if they are tortured,all that matters are getting results to protect this country BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!The founding fathers never intended for anyone other than americans to have constitutional rights.The da*n democrats care only about the rights of terrorists and that makes them traitors.
I forgot to say that Senators do not understand the application of violence as a tool in winning conflicts. They think passing laws solves problems....it does not. It creates problems so lawyers have work.
If I were king in America only American citizens could have rights under our Constitution. I think that is what our founders intended too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.