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You would think that Senators Carl Levin and John McCain would have learned by now that you cannot deal in good faith with a White House that does not act in good faith. Yet both men struck bargains intended to restore the rule of law to American prison camps. And President Bush tossed them aside at the first opportunity. Mr. Bush made a grand show of inviting Mr. McCain into the Oval Office last month to announce his support for a bill to require humane treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay and other prisons run by the American military and...

WASHINGTON - President Bush agreed with great fanfare last month to accept a ban on torture, but he later quietly reserved the right to ignore it, even as he signed it into law. Acting from the seclusion of his Texas ranch at the start of New Year's weekend, Bush said he would interpret the new law in keeping with his expansive view of presidential power. He did it by issuing a bill-signing statement -- a little-noticed device that has become a favorite tool of presidential power in the Bush White House. In fact, Bush has used signing statements to reject,...

WASHINGTON - President Bush agreed with great fanfare last month to accept a ban on torture, but he later quietly reserved the right to ignore it, even as he signed it into law.Acting from the seclusion of his Texas ranch at the start of New Year's weekend, Bush said he would interpret the new law in keeping with his expansive view of presidential power. He did it by issuing a bill-signing statement - a little-noticed device that has become a favorite tool of presidential power in the Bush White House.In fact, Bush has used signing statements to reject, revise or...

Reject assertion he has right to waive rules to protect US security WASHINGTON -- Three key Republican senators yesterday condemned President Bush's assertion that his powers as commander in chief give him the authority to bypass a new law restricting the use of torture when interrogating detainees. John W. Warner Jr., a Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, issued a joint statement rejecting Bush's assertion that he can waive the restrictions on the use of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment against detainees to protect national security. ''We believe the president...

Sen. John McCain, who pushed the White House to support a ban on torture, suggested Sunday that harsh treatment of a terrorism suspect who knew of an imminent attack would not violate international standards. The Arizona Republican said legislation before Congress would establish in U.S. law the international standard banning any treatment of prisoners that "shocks the conscience." That would include, McCain said, mock executions and "water boarding," in which a subject is made to think he is drowning. Asked on ABC's "This Week" whether such treatment of a terrorism suspect who could reveal information that could stop a terrorist...

President Bush has apparently capitulated on the "torture" issue, agreeing to accept, with only slight modifications, Sen. John McCain's amendment that would ban "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" of terrorists in U.S. custody. Podhoretz's phrase--"a form of unilateral disarmament . . . in the face of a still intransigent enemy"--is an apt description of the McCain amendment, which will certainly not prompt any reciprocal moves by terrorists to abjure tactics like beheading civilians or flying planes into buildings.

  Senator John McCain's Bill of Rights for Terrorists Written by Jim Kouri Saturday, December 17, 2005   "It's a done deal," said the smiling Arizona senator, John McCain, after he met with the President George W. Bush and got what he wanted: a ban on interrogation techniques he and other liberals believe are inhumane or degrading. President Bush and Senator McCain finally agreed that CIA interrogators will possess the same legal rights as enjoyed by members of the military who are accused of breaking interrogation guidelines. Those rights say accused people can defend themselves by claiming they were obeying an...

In the United States, we already have laws prohibiting torture. But, that wasn't enough for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). McCain apparently "feels" (one of those liberal things) that torture is 'anything that makes terrorists uncomfortable'. Holy Smokes, Senator! Terrorists are supposed to be uncomfortable. Not only does McCain not want those who blow up people, buildings and behead those they haven't already killed to be treated with a gentler and more soothing attitude, he has also managed to push this anti-American enemy bill through--with terrorists now being extended rights under the US Constitution! Personal Message to Senator McCain: It really...

The International Guardian reads "The White House bowed to international and congressional pressure on Thursday and abandoned its opposition to Senate legislation prohibiting the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading interrogation methods of detainees in US custody around the world." "We've sent a message to the world that the United States is not like the terrorists," Senator McCain said, sitting next to the president in the Oval Office on Thursday. "This will help us enormously in winning the hearts and minds of the people throughout the world in winning the war on terror." Really--How? Clearly focused more on the political...

WASHINGTON — By refusing to agree to an all-out ban on the torture of terrorist suspects held in U.S. custody, President Bush in recent months was triggering political problems for his administration at home and around the world. It took the assistance of an unlikely ally — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a rival in the 2000 Republican primaries — to give the White House the chance to repair the damage on both fronts. The agreement reached Thursday on legislation prohibiting the inhumane treatment of suspected terrorists in U.S. custody marked a rare capitulation by a president who campaigned for reelection...

WASHINGTON - President Bush reversed course on Thursday and accepted Sen. John McCain's call for a law banning cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of foreign suspects in the war on terror. Bush said the agreement will "make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad." "It's a done deal," said McCain, talking to reporters in a driving rain outside the White House. Under the deal, CIA interrogators would be given the same legal rights as currently guaranteed members of...

This was picked up off the PR Wire about 10 minutes ago. ======================================================= WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush after meeting with Senator John McCain and Senator John Warner: The Oval Office 2:41 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: It's my honor to welcome two good friends, the Chairman, John Warner, and, of course, John McCain -- Senator John McCain, here to the Oval Office. We share a common goal, and that is to protect the American people and to win the war on terror. Senator McCain has been a leader to make...

WASHINGTON – President Bush reversed course on Thursday and accepted Sen. John McCain's call for a law banning cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of foreign suspects in the war on terror. Bush said the agreement will "make it clear to the world that this government does not torture and that we adhere to the international convention of torture, whether it be here at home or abroad." "It's a done deal," said McCain, talking to reporters in a driving rain outside the White House after he met with the president.

December 15, 2005, 2:21 p.m. McCain & Miranda “Cruel, inhuman and degrading” may prove more dangerous than meets the eye. Senator John McCain’s confusing and vague amendment, calling for a government-wide ban on coercive interrogation, appears to be a done deal. But President Bush should really bear the political heat and veto it. The longer one wrestles with it, the more the McCain amendment forebodes a national-security catastrophe. The legislation should be scrapped altogether, or, at the very least, drastically amended to replace its Bill of Rights references — at once lazy and perilous — with a careful, honest effort...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House and Sen. John McCain have reached agreement on McCain's amendment that would ban torture of detainees in U.S. custody, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Republican said on Thursday. A White House announcement was expected shortly. "The deal is done and he's heading to the White House," McCain's spokeswoman said. Under bipartisan pressure, the White House accepted McCain's amendment, which would ban cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners. The White House had sought protections from prosecution for interrogators accused of violating the rule, but McCain rejected that, saying it would undermine his amendment. The...

WASHINGTON (AP) The White House has agreed to accept Sen. John McCain's proposal to ban cruel treatment of terrorism detainees, congressional officials said. Yahoo E-Mail Alert. Looking for whole story.

White House Agrees to McCain Torture Ban Move Comes After House and Senate Back Language By LIZ SIDOTI, AP WASHINGTON (Dec. 15) - After months of resistance, the White House has agreed to accept Sen. John McCain's call for a law specifically banning cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of foreign suspects in the war on terror, several congressional officials said Thursday. The congressional officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt an expected announcement later in the day at the White House, possibly by President Bush and McCain. These officials also cautioned the agreement was...

WASHINGTON - After months of resistance, the White House has agreed to accept Sen. John McCain's call for a law specifically banning cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of foreign suspects in the war on terror, several congressional officials said Thursday. The congressional officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt an expected announcement later in the day at the White House, possibly by President Bush and McCain. ...

This New York Times story makes it sound like it is still up-in-the-air whether there will be a deal on McCain. That's not the buzz I'm hearing from both opponents and supporters of the amendment. The word is that a deal is very close and it will represent a near total capitulation by the administration. As of this moment I'm hearing that it might not even include a retroactive immunity for anyone who participated in the soon-to-be-banned practices. This is how badly the administration is losing--or, has lost--this debate: it will be lucky to protect our own interrogators from potential...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Congress will reach an agreement with the White House on a defense bill that would ban the torture and inhumane treatment of detainees, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Sunday. Frist said on Fox News Sunday that negotiators were discussing the issue of "degrading" suspects.