October 6, 2005
PRESIDENT CLELAND?
Republicans defy Bush on prisoners (Demetri Sevastopulo and Holly Yeager, Financial Times, 10/6/05)
Senate Republicans on Wednesday night defied President George W. Bush by requiring the Pentagon to follow army regulations for the interrogation of prisoners, a move the White House argues would limit US ability to prosecute the war on terrorism.Hmmm. Playing around with a defense appropriations bill in the middle of a war in order to mollycoddle terrorists. Just in case you've ever doubted whether the Republicans are the stupid party... Posted by David Cohen at October 6, 2005 8:14 AMThe Senate voted 90 to 9 to approve a bipartisan amendment to the defence appropriations bill, sponsored by John McCain, a senior Republican member of the Senate armed services committee, that will require the Pentagon to follow the US army field manual on intelligence interrogation.
The measure will also ban the military from subjecting prisoners to “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment”. . . .
The White House also threatened to veto the defence bill if it contained the McCain amendment. Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, said the measure would be “unnecessary and duplicative”.
“It would limit the president’s ability as commander-in-chief to effectively carry out the war on terrorism,” Mr McClellan added.
Just change the regulations.
Posted by: oj at October 6, 2005 8:34 AMYes, why else would John McCain object to torture of war prisoners?
Posted by: Chris Durnell at October 6, 2005 11:58 AMChris: I'm not saying he doesn't have a reason -- although it's a pretty weak reason -- just that it's bad politics.
Posted by: David Cohen at October 6, 2005 4:51 PMDavid, I've been wondering myself why GWB would threaten to veto a defense appropriations bill during wartime, too...
Posted by: Rick Perlstein at October 6, 2005 7:24 PMRick: Touché (and I know what that "wartime" cost you).
I assume, though, that we can both agree that OJ's nuts to think that W, famously touchy about loyalty, is going to work to deliver the nomination to the man who put him in this position.
Posted by: David Cohen at October 6, 2005 7:36 PM