Deal May Be in Works on Interrogations

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060917/D8K6MJUG0.html

Deal May Be in Works on Interrogations
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Sep 17, 11:29 AM (ET)

By NEDRA PICKLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Both sides in a Republican Party dispute over standards for interrogating suspected terrorists said Sunday they are confident they will reach a compromise.

President Bush wants CIA personnel to be able to use aggressive methods to get information from detainees. But several powerful Republican senators are seeking changes to Bush's plan. They say the United States must adhere strictly to international standards and that setting harsher ones could put U.S. troops at risk if they are captured.

"I still believe that we'll be able to work this out to the satisfaction of everybody concerned," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Their differences deal with the Geneva Conventions, which set international standards for the treatment of prisoners of war, and with U.S. handling of classified information and coerced testimony.

FULL story aT link above.

[wryter2000]

1. Bingo

Graham, McCain, et al. pull a Specter and bend over. They make me puke.

[soothsayer]

2. Sweet! What forms of torture is America going to support?

I sure they hope they still allow torture of children (including sexual abuse of children) in front of their parents. That's an oldie but a goodie!

(being sarcastic of course)

on edit: Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children

By Philip Watts

01/08/06 "revcom.us" -- -- John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody – including by crushing that child’s testicles.

snip

What is particularly chilling and revealing about this is that John Yoo was a key architect post-9/11 Bush Administration legal policy. As a deputy assistant to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, John Yoo authored a number of legal memos arguing for unlimited presidential powers to order torture of captive suspects, and to declare war anytime, any where, and on anyone the President deemed a threat.

It has now come out Yoo also had a hand in providing legal reasoning for the President to conduct unauthorized wiretaps of U.S. citizens. Georgetown Law Professor David Cole wrote, "Few lawyers have had more influence on President Bush’s legal policies in the 'war on terror’ than John Yoo."

snip

Cassel: If the President deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s child, there is no law that can stop him?
Yoo: No treaty.
Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.
Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

snip

More here
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11488.htm

[BlueManDude]

21. Waterboarding, Yes. Hot poker up the ass, No. n/t

[bluestateguy]

3. Gee I'm shocked

A bunch of powerful white men in suits have a few secret meetings behind closed doors and the whole thing is straightened out.

God Bless America.

[Robbien]

4. No new bill needs to be passed. The Geneva Convention

is fine as it is.

[Mz Pip]

5. What a surprise

Gee, that was resolved quickly. Tweaking the language, that's probably all it is. THe 'principled' Repugs get to save face and BuchCo gets what it wants. A rose by any other name is still a rose.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[driver8]

7. More like, "A pile of shit by any other name is still a pile of shit."

I am so sick of the rethugs and their ass kissing of the boy king.

[Mz Pip]

14. Yes

and torture by any other name is still torture.

McCain caving is no surprise to me. At the end of the day, he always does. After hearing Graham speak, I expect better of him. But then, he's stil a Repug so why should I be surprised.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[0007]

9. Sure they'll work it out alright....

Anything ya want boss

[bullimiami]

6. one can only hope that there is a heaven and hell and judgement day.

obviously they say it but dont believe it.

[Phredicles]

8. If this weakens Geneva Convention standards at all there had BETTER

be a Democratic filibuster, if nothing else.

If they're worried about spin, they can say they're trying to protect our troops from similar mistreatment.

[bbgrunt]

10. Well, those dems want to keep their powder dry......

and don't want to be called appeasers right before an election. I cannot imagine they would do such a radical thing as fillibuster. PLEASE DEMS, PROVE ME WRONG!!!

[toska]

11. Passing a law weakining the Geneva Conventions ...

is a war crime itself and puts congress in legal jeapordy. I don't see a senator wanting to spend time at the Hague. Dems should bring this up in debate.

[soothsayer]

12. But we opted out of trials at the Hague. So who can punish us?

No one!

On edit: See? We'll handle this at home. No one will be punished!

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is pursuing its campaign to protect Americans from International Criminal Court jurisdiction even as it deals with the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal that may involve some of the very war crimes the court was created to handle.

So far 89 countries have signed agreements with Washington promising that Americans accused of grave international offenses, including soldiers charged with war crimes, will be returned to U.S. jurisdiction so their cases can be decided by fellow Americans rather than international jurists.

snip

"It's never been our argument that Americans are angels," one senior U.S. official told Reuters.

"Our argument has been if Americans commit war crimes or human rights violations, we will handle them. And we will," he added.

more here
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0514-11.htm

[The Wielding Truth]

20. All I can say right now is

:puke: we are a land without conscience, law, or soul.

[Warren Stupidity]

13. Will the Opposition Party stand up? nt.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Hillary has already taken a strong stand

against a film that depicts the assassination of Bush, a film that has yet to be shown in the US.

Nice to take a stand on a work of fiction while ignoring the reality of the tyrant Bush wanting Congress to approve of every law breaking of his regime.

[ConcernedCanuk]

23. The U S of A doesn't HAVE an opposition Party, just ANOTHER party.

.
.
.

I still haven't heard any major whines or outrage on the part of the Democrats as a unit regarding the slaughters going on under the USA's wishes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

And certainly no serious question of the Genocide going on over there as the result of sanctions and the use of Depleted Uranium(banned for over 60 years before the US started using it in GW1)

Depleted Uranium will be killing for generations after the PNACers are all dead and gone.

At least when Hitler died,

The slaughter/genocide stopped.

The PNACers will still be killing LONG after their bodies succumb to maggots.

(sigh)

[yellowcanine]

15. Compromise? What, a little torture is ok? cruel out but degrading ok?

[Generator]

16. Unless they believe

Republicans, Dems, independents, whatever-that standing by this president, that never saying no to him, or even just as faulty-making compromises on matters of the strictest moral ground-that the rest of the civilized world agrees to-but this one man-who happens to be the president-that isn't supported by a majority of the country and enjoys minor support (at best)from the world at large-unless they BELIEVE that is a wise and moral choice-

WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY STANDING BY BUSH? What is the pay-off? I know what they lose. Their souls. Their standing in history. Hopefully, for these souless wonders they gain a few votes! That's what's important. A few votes.

Scum of the earth they are to me now. Those with power to stop torture, to stop this one man and his insane clown posse-and they did not-they instead felt it was best to compromise. Ah.

History will judge them as well. The enablers.

The most compliant congress in history.

[MasonJar]

17. Please those of you with Dems for reps and senators contact

them immediately. I cannot help since I have three of the most dedicated Bushbots imaginable representing (allegedly) me in the Congress...McConnell, Bunning and Northrup. Heaven help me! We are trying to get rid of Northrup this year. Barack Obama was in Louisville Thursday to help.

[IndianaGreen]

18. Two steps forward, one step backward

The point is that since 2001 we have been on a steady pace towards tyranny!

[stepnw1f]

22. GOP=Torture

just like the nazis.... they invade countries and torture their people.

[w4rma]

24. No new law needs to be enacted. Existing law needs to be enforced. (nt)

[Solly Mack]

25. I'm just so proud.

puke

[bhikkhu]

26. Fine. Just take a good look at the signing statement when it goes to law.

[mike_c]

27. where will the democrats be when it counts...?

All we're hearing now is about compromise among republicans. Will the democrats stand up to them if they bring any bill to the floor that weakens Geneva Convention protections? Will the democrats stand up for civilized treatment of EVERYONE in custody, no matter what they are accused of? Will the democrats defend the rule of law, due process, and the principle of innocence until guilt is proven in open court? Will the democrats stand up against secret trials in an Amerikan gulag?

I certainly hope so. If they don't, America will be lost.

[samsingh]

28. why do repugs want American soldiers to be tortured?