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 ...
If you agree and are as outraged as I am, let your voices be heard! The DBM are delighted to spread this bad news to damage the Bush administration, our war on terror efforts and the Republican Party before the Nov elections. Don't be silent!
Here's the thing the democratic party has morphed into the socialist party and the republicans have morphed into great society democrats. Oh where oh where have the republicans gone?
Save us big government!
They are out of touch. Warner, especially, surprises me. Our local NBC station, which broadcasts in the pretty liberal Maryland-DC-Northern Virginia area, ran a web poll yesterday that showed that viewers support tough interrogation of terrorist suspects, 71% to 29%.
Ping... Some major triangulation going on here!
The Geneva Convention shouldn't even apply to terrorists anyway as they aren't representative of any particular country and don't even wear uniforms for cryin' out loud!
This is so crazy, I cannot even believe it!
When one looks at the senate members involved one knows which side they are on. Americans in this great nation are now more vulnerable to being killed by terrorists, thanks to our US Senate. Should Americans declare war on the US Senate, for Americans own protection?
Captured terrorists should not be pampered. Redefining torture as anything that makes prisoners uncomfortable is insane.
Terrorist should not even qualify for the Geneva Convention protections. They are not soldiers. They do not fight by the Geneva Conventions and therefore should not be protected by them.
Time to add a little something extra to your tagline, I'm thinking...
Once upon a time, I supported Lindsey Graham. And while my respect for him has teetered on the edge for the past few years, it has now vanished.
Congratulations, Lindsey, your adept leadership during clinton's impeachment process is now fully overshadowed.
Lindsey: how the hell do you square your usual support for our armed forces and our nation with such a vote? HOW? Tell us HOW, Lindsey?
I like that idea, war on the Senate.
Where do I sign up?
Great suggestion.... Done!
If any of my family members are injured or killed in a terrorist attack, I will issue a personal jihad on these SOB senators.
Warner needs to go. I think he's gone senile.
I can't believe it either. And if the Republican leadership had risen up and given press interviews about how insane the SCOTUS ruling was (giving jihadists GC protection), maybe public pressure would have effected a different outcome in Congress than the one we're facing now.
And on another note: Lindsey Graham thinks detainees should have access to classified information in their defense.
see Blam below.
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
These idiots really want us to believe that the terrorists subscribe to the Geneva Convention and any changes we make will put our military in worse peril than getting chopped up and beheaded!
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."
Now, I don't really lose much sleep at night over what happens to terrorists, but I have a hard time refuting this arguement when it's posed to me.
I'm sure our men in the field fighting 7th century wantabee barbarians feel better knowing that the perfumed princes in the U.S. Senate have made them safer. If captured, the thugs might now think for .002 seconds about their captives rights under the Geneva Conventions before sawing their head off.
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.