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VOTE ON TERROR RULES DEFIES BUSH (GOP-led panel gives detainees more protections)
The Houston Chronicle via The NY Times ^ | 9/14/06 | KATE ZERNIKE

Posted on 09/15/2006 5:03:46 AM PDT by demkicker

WASHINGTON - On a frantic day of Republican infighting, the Senate Armed Services Committee defied President Bush on Thursday as four Republicans joined Democrats in approving a plan for the trial and interrogation of terror suspects that the White House has rejected.

The Republican rebellion was led by Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the committee chairman, with backing from Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine. The White House had warned that their legislation would leave the United States no option but to shut down a CIA program to interrogate high-level terror suspects.

The vote came despite an all-out effort by the White House to win support for its own approach, which provides far fewer protections for detainees. Bush himself traveled to Capitol Hill with Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday morning, and the administration released a brief letter in which the top lawyers for the military branches said they did not object to the White House proposal to redefine a key provision of the Geneva Conventions.

But former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell sided with the senators, saying in a letter that Bush's plan to redefine the Geneva Conventions would encourage the world to "doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism" and "put our own troops at risk."

Powell's statement amounted to a rare public breach with the White House he served, but reflected his opposition while in office to the administration's assertions that the war against al-Qaida should not be bound by the Geneva Conventions.... (continued at link)

(Excerpt) Read more at houstonchronicle.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
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To: demkicker

Our enemy is inside the nation, on our streets, soon to be on our radio and TV, and in the elected highest offices in DC.


21 posted on 09/15/2006 5:25:22 AM PDT by From One - Many (Trust the Old Media At Your Own Risk)
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To: RunningJoke

Anyone counted how many RINOs we're up to now? What is the real breakdown?


22 posted on 09/15/2006 5:26:12 AM PDT by VA40
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To: demkicker

Is there going to be a House version of this bill?


23 posted on 09/15/2006 5:27:40 AM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: Donna Lee Nardo
HOW? Tell us HOW, Lindsey?

Whoring himself out to be McStains VP....
24 posted on 09/15/2006 5:29:15 AM PDT by Kozak (Anti Shahada: " There is no God named Allah, and Muhammed is his False Prophet")
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To: Steel Wolf
we don't need to resort to terrorist tactics to win

Now tell us what are the terrorist tactics that we are going to use if the Senate approves President Bush plan?

25 posted on 09/15/2006 5:30:13 AM PDT by jveritas (Support The Commander in Chief in Times of War)
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To: Peach
And on another note: Lindsey Graham thinks detainees should have access to classified information in their defense.

Rather than continuing with behind the scenes quiet diplomacy with these Senate jihadists, I hope this will be the last straw for Bush and that he is willing to put EVERYTHING on the line and for once go ballistic publicly so that this cannot stand!

There is not a doubt in my mind that the country will support him. There is absolutely no excuse for him to stand by and let these traitors aide and abet the terrorists and endanger our military and country. This is war!

26 posted on 09/15/2006 5:31:33 AM PDT by demkicker (democrats, terrorists, Powell, McCain, Graham & Collins are intimate bedfellows)
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To: jveritas

you haven't heard....we are going to ask the terrorists questions.....the shame of it all.


27 posted on 09/15/2006 5:31:45 AM PDT by From One - Many (Trust the Old Media At Your Own Risk)
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To: From One - Many

How about this, could Zell Miller be right?

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38251


28 posted on 09/15/2006 5:31:50 AM PDT by roses of sharon
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To: demkicker
"What is in the the Geneva Convention is meaningless, all that counts is what 5 "internationalist" judges of the Supreme Court says".-- Warner, McCain and Graham
29 posted on 09/15/2006 5:32:46 AM PDT by rollo tomasi (Working hard to pay for deadbeats and corrupt politicians.)
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To: demkicker
I understand McCain's desire to see torture as a method of information extraction eradicated the world over. I think he believes that if we don't participate in it, no one else will. We know he's wrong on that point. I don't believe we should participate in torture as a method of intelligence gathering either but much of what is being classified as "torture" is not torture at all. I would love to see a poll taken as to what people consider to be torture.
30 posted on 09/15/2006 5:34:10 AM PDT by Arcy
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To: demkicker

I've heard that neither citizen Democrats nor Republicans are pleased with McCain/Graham.

But just think about this - in 2008 - the GOP opponents to the presidency can make some great commercials about McCain's desire to give the jihadists access to classified documents and how he caved to SCOTUS so how can he be expected to fight the terrorists.


31 posted on 09/15/2006 5:34:26 AM PDT by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: roses of sharon

The legislature in my state is so corrupt, I couldn't trust them to make an honest decision, but I understand what Zell is thinking.


32 posted on 09/15/2006 5:34:48 AM PDT by From One - Many (Trust the Old Media At Your Own Risk)
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To: jveritas
How idiotic is this? Does this man really believe that the terrorists are going to pause less danger to us if we abide by the Geneva Convention in our treatment to captured terrorists

The point about danger to the troops stems from what they consider the precendent our actions now would set for the next war. If other countries adopt a two-tiered system the way we proposed to do, then our captured special ops or intel guys could automatically face a "Geneva free" hotel stay. They have information vital to the defense of the capturing nation, after all. Why shouldn't they use every means necessary to extract it?

The enemy abuses our prisoners anyway, when they think no one is looking. The only way we can avoid that is to avoid war altogether. Still, under a two teired system, our future enemies wouldn't even have to pretend to be humane. They can shrug, much like we intend to, and say, "Well, we needed to know everything. What's the big deal?"

33 posted on 09/15/2006 5:35:46 AM PDT by Steel Wolf (- Islam will never survive being laughed at. -)
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To: demkicker

34 posted on 09/15/2006 5:36:48 AM PDT by SerpentDove (It's not rocket surgery.)
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To: Steel Wolf
That's a little bit much, don't you think? There's a reasonable case to be made for their side. Namely, this:

"We are the United States of America after all; we don't need to resort to terrorist tactics to win. We are in an ideological war with al-Qa'ida. Sticking to our ideals is important."

I honestly don't know how you can look at it any other way than a coup attempt. And your quote is irrelevant since our President isn't resorting to terrorist tactics to win! Tell our military men and women that we are in an ideological war with al-Qa'ida while they try to hang onto their heads. Sorry, but your 'U.N. speak' doesn't hold water.

35 posted on 09/15/2006 5:37:34 AM PDT by demkicker (democrats, terrorists, Powell, McCain, Graham & Collins are intimate bedfellows)
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To: demkicker

This pisses me off especially when Graham was all over the airwaves a few months ago saying how much of a travesty it was that the Supreme Court decided the way it did.

JERK!


36 posted on 09/15/2006 5:37:39 AM PDT by Eagle of Liberty (If you speak against your own, you have chosen the wrong side.)
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To: From One - Many
Should Americans declare war on the US Senate, for Americans own protection?

Patriotic Americans should introduce legislation to the House of Reps to have a vote of no confidence of our entire Senate!
37 posted on 09/15/2006 5:39:28 AM PDT by Eagle of Liberty (If you speak against your own, you have chosen the wrong side.)
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To: demkicker

"This is so crazy, I cannot even believe it!"

It is.. just like the 190 Taliban that got off the hook the other day.. we can't win playing pc games with barbarians.


38 posted on 09/15/2006 5:39:56 AM PDT by SeaBiscuit (God Bless America and All who protect and preserve this Great Nation.)
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To: Steel Wolf

Americans interrogating enemy combatants have never been the way you describe (except for a few isolated incidences) and then it was nudity and panties on their heads not sawing a person into little pieces as is the practice of the enemy. I'm telling you the truth, now what is your argument again.


39 posted on 09/15/2006 5:41:02 AM PDT by From One - Many (Trust the Old Media At Your Own Risk)
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To: Arcy
I understand McCain's desire to see torture as a method of information extraction eradicated the world over. I think he believes that if we don't participate in it, no one else will. We know he's wrong on that point.

I can't stand McCain, and I'd have to pray long and hard if it came down to having to vote for him. I'd be happier if he just up and joined the Democrats and got it over with.

Still, let's be fair. For the dozens and dozens of bad things I could say about him, let's recognize that the guy clearly suffered a lot in Hanoi. You can't blame him for wanting to make sure that American forces never treat anyone the way that he was treated by the Viet Cong. It has nothing to do with changing the world; it's just keeping your own house in order.

40 posted on 09/15/2006 5:41:55 AM PDT by Steel Wolf (- Islam will never survive being laughed at. -)
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