GOP Senators Ready Detainee Amendments

[maddezmom]

~snip~
The Bush administration, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, is working to kill amendments that GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina want to tack onto a bill setting Defense Department policy for next year.

McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, and Graham, a former military lawyer, planned to introduce their amendments this week, said Senate aides who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to let their names be used. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., has been working with McCain and Graham on the legislation.

~snip

Cheney met with the three Republican lawmakers just off the Senate floor for about 30 minutes Thursday evening. That followed an administration statement that President Bush's advisers would recommend a veto of the overall bill if amendments were added that "interfere with the protection of Americans from terrorism by diverting resources from the war to answer unnecessary or duplicative inquiry or by restricting the president's ability to conduct the war effectively."

Senate aides estimate that nearly a dozen Republicans could be on board — which would be more than enough for the amendments to pass. Democrats, who long have criticized the administration on detainee treatment, are roundly supportive.

~snip~
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050725/ap_on_go_co/congress_detainees

[madfloridian]

1. Cheney had come to jesus meeting with them, made them mad.

Sounded like he sort of threatened them to back off, and McCain said he might pursue it anyway.

Now if McCain will quit defending them on TV.

[Roland99]

2. Good...let the Propagandist veto a bill for that reason.

That will not set well with the average American. Those approval ratings are going to keep dropping.

As long as the Dems field some decent candidates, '06 should be very promising.

[katty]

3. called my reps to support this amendment-screw the WH

they aren't fighting terror-they have gone out of their way to facilitate the conditions that create terror.

[Robbien]

4. Bush would never veto the bill

It would be the very first veto thus making it newsworthy. Bush would never veto a defense bill because of a non-torture clause knowing the press would have a field day with it.

[AmBlue]

12. Is there any way....

to overcome a Presidential veto? (sorry for the dumb question)

[Robbien]

13. Congress can override a Presidential veto

Both houses would have to vote to override. The votes to override would need two thirds of the vote in both the House and the Senate.

[AmBlue]

14. Thanks, Robbien.......

I learn so much here on DU. :)

[Zorra]

5. Although I am always suspicious of republican motivations when they

engage in a rare display of common human decency, any legislation that prevents a human being from being tortured is a definite step in a better direction.

Bu*h and Cheney and all those who support "legalizing" the torture of human beings, or engage in the practice of torturing human beings, are sick, disgusting individuals, and the American people really need to take a good look inside the blackened hearts of these people and remove them from power ASAP.

Because they really are insane.

They are as insane as any Nazi or KGB torturer ever was.

What is wrong with these people?

They are as sick as sick gets.

[mbperrin]

6. And a big shout out to the Dickster himself:

Hey, Dick! Go fuck yourself!

And I mean it.......

[cornermouse]

7. They're getting ready to release the torture pictures.

I think that's the real explanation for all this republican indignation all over my screen right now.

I wish they had done this display of morality as soon as they found out we were torturing people. It would have made this much more convincing and meaningful.

[jbnow]

8. Not sure of that, but this fight

is part of why white house wants to block the release. If they were released there is no way they could stop the passage of this or stricter ones. The public pressure and shame factor (for those who have it)would be too much.

I read in another article that part of the reason the Republicans are pushing this now is to block the stricter ones by the Dem's and levin's call for a fuller investigation.

[youspeakmylanguage]

9. Excellent...

Divide, then conquer.

[jurassicpork]

10. McCain's amendment...

...should also include safeguards that would prohibit the DoD from re-writing the army field manual for interrogation or allowing the Secretary of Defense from adding, say, over a dozen new techniques, which he already had. At the very least, it should be contingent on Congressional approval.

JP
http://jurassicpork.blogspot.com

[mikelewis]

11. I don't care what anyone says, I like Graham

He was awesome on News Radio, though he did gain a bit of weight and he's really not as funny as he used to be.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. Yeah, I guess he was a LOT funnier when he was one of the....

...House Managers of Clinton's impeachment proceeding.

Just a barrell of laughs.

[mikelewis]

18. That was an act of Jealousy, you can't hold that against him...

He wanted to be Bill's Intern. Hell hath no fury...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. Cheney's bullying has worked for five years...fun's over, Dick!

[savemefromdumbya]

17. Cheney is nothing but an S & M maniac?

Why would someone in his position promote such distasteful, sordid acts. I think he must enjoy it? I am beginning to wonder if all the WH has this torture fetisch?

[Trevelyan]

19. Read the MK-ULTRA, CIA's torture for brainwashing

The Bush branch of the CIA has also had The School of the Americas, school for torture techniques used in South and Central America, which the Washington Post reported on the yearly demonstrations for years. Last year Susan Sarandan and Martin Sheen protested.

The School of the Americas SOA had a name change and when I went to Congress.org to protest one of Bush's criminal nominees there was a letter about a bill to close the School of the Americas by whatever name but Gitmo is really a training ground for Bush's Storm Troopers to use on Americans.

The 1977 Senate Hearings on MK-ULTRA are online but hurry before they are deleted.

Raven1.net has many psychiatrists and victims of MK-ULTRA torture and human experimentation of unsuspecting and kidnapped Americans including children for the past number of decades.

Cathy O'Brien or Brice Taylor wrote a book called THE TRANCE-FORMATION OF AMERICA and described Cheney's sadism in running a hot poker across her thigh while Bush Senior was raping her daughter.

John Bonnaci one of John DeCamp's clients drew a picture of parts of the White House that the public usually doesn't see including the set up of Bush, Senior's bedroom at the so-called Reagan White House.

These monsters have been getting away with it for decades. In The Greenbaum Speech given before the American Psychiatric Association by Dr. Hammond who began and ended with his fears about being killed but said he could not keep silent anymore. THE GREENBAUM SPEECH is on several sites just Google.

Please vist http://www.conyersblog.us/, the first two threads are for those who attended the Downing Street Memo rallies and parties but you can post on the threads beneath that.

There needs to be a lot more support of Rep. Conyers and After Downing Street, please give some hits and post a comment or two. It is pathetic the way we don't support those who are really sticking their neck out and that includes Sibel Edmond's the FBI Translator who had her testimony censored from the bogus 911 Hearings chaired by Keane, a long time Bush family major financial contributor.

Ms. Edmonds' site is JUST A CITIZEN and she wrote an article, I'M JUST GAGGED, I'M NOT DEAD, I think she is worried, Sen. Leahy and Sen. Waxman wrote her letters she has on her site and Ms. Edmonds has started a group to try to protect government Whistleblowers.

Someone on DU said when everyone was raving about George Galloway and saying they would pay and stand in line to hear him speak at a proposed speakers tour to hurry and make the tour because Americans enthusiasms don't last long - Americans are very fickle and it looks that way to me.

Why didn't DU have Conyers' Downing Street Memo parties and rallies on the home page?

[savemefromdumbya]

20. skeletons in closet (at the moment at least)

I've heard these stories and I wouldn't be surprised. It is really time to wipe American politicians clean. There is way too much corruption on both sides.