Posted on 09/28/2006 8:54:10 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1709588/posts?page=1
House passes detainee bill
Republicans pushed a bill supported by President George W. Bush to set rules for interrogating and trying terrorism suspects through the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday and Senate Republicans were expected to follow within a day.
The House passed the bill 253-168 largely along party lines, dismissing warnings from Democrats that courts would strike down the plan for failing to meet judicial standards.
Republicans who control both chambers want to send the bill to Bush by the weekend, when lawmakers head out to campaign for November elections that will determine control of Congress.
The bill sets up procedures to try foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Supreme Court struck down Bush's original plan, saying it violated U.S. and international standards.
As Senate debate on the bill got under way, Republicans defeated an attempt to pass an alternative that Democrats said would meet Supreme Court standards and help restore America's image, damaged by harsh treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
The Senate was expected to pass the bill on Thursday, after considering several other amendments.
Republicans, seeking to polish their terrorism-fighting credentials in the final days of their campaigns, depicted the new rules as tough but fair.
"By formally establishing terrorist tribunals, the bill provides a critical tool in fighting the war on terror and it provides a measure of justice to the victims of 9/11," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, a California Republican, said the bill provides "basic fairness in our prosecutions but we also preserve the ability of our war fighters to operate effectively on the battlefield."
But Human rights groups and many Democrats said the deal gave Bush too much latitude to allow harsh interrogations and to deprive detainees of legal rights.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, a California Democrat, said agreeing to "such an ambiguous compromise would allow the president to define torture when and how he sees fit."
Rep. Louise Slaughter, a New York Democrat, said the bill sends a signal that "America's leaders are willing to abandon our values ... in favor of thuggish tactics they hope might make them safer for a little while."
Democrats also predicted the courts would find the bill unconstitutional because it deprived detainees held without charges of the right to file legal challenges to their imprisonment.
Under a compromise worked out last week, the CIA will be able to continue aggressive interrogations, but supporters of the bill said agency interrogators would comply with the Geneva Conventions' requirement for humane treatment.
The bill also expands the definition of "enemy combatants," who can be held indefinitely without charges, to include those who knowingly support terrorist groups with arms, money and other activities.
Backers of the bill said that provision would choke off supplies to terrorist groups, but critics said it was too broad and could subject many more people to indefinite detention.
LOL!!
Yeah- that would be GREAT!
;-)
YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ya gotta understand the Reps. in this state. For more than 50yrs. they've been happy taking whatever scraps the dems have thrown them. They don't want their rice bowl broken! With Raese, we've got a millionaire spending a lot of his own money. The Republican party in WV is a dysfunctional joke! A ton of infighting. IF Raese wins, and IF he can do some good for the state, then we have a chance to keep the seat.
Gotta go.
ROFLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL!
FREE TO FREEPERS!
;-)
To tell the truth, I'm with caller Jonathan on this one. There's no need for Rush to pull a "Martha Stewart" on his staff. They may have been trying to provide cover for Maurice.
only over a bottle of champaign!
;-)
Your the master as always Jonnie you bring forth good common sense in these trouble times
Only one MASTER here....GET IT RIGHT OR I'LL HAVE YOU FIRED!
Rush was Jokeing
That was a great explanation and it does make good sense.
LOL
Have a good one...see you in the lounge!
only over a bottle of champaign!
;-)
So how do I get you elected as a delegate to the 2008 Republican Convention so you can come up and stay at my house.....
Hey, where did you get a DNC party manual? :)
Actually, my grandfather made me aware of it.....Know thy enemy!
Interresting. Eight of the ten highest gas tax states are run by Democrats and went for Kerry. :) I find that so pleasently ironic. Thanks for posting that! :)
Boy 62.9 cents per gallon in NY State. Man they really get hosed. That stinks.
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.