White House Gains Concessions in Senate Measure on Tribunals

[Rose Siding]

The Bush administration has won concessions from key Senate Republicans in proposed legislation on standards for detainee treatment and the rules for military trials of terrorism suspects, although some disagreements persist between the lawmakers and the White House, Senate sources said yesterday.
...
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John W. Warner (R-Va.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) last week had circulated a draft that diverged more sharply from the White House's version. But President Bush's speech on the plan Wednesday, when he announced his intention to put 14 key terrorism suspects on trial, has made Senate Republicans more wary of bucking the White House.
...
The Senate bill for the first time includes language supporting the administration's position that detainee abuse can be prosecuted only if it, in effect, "shocks the conscience." Legal experts say that instead of setting an absolute standard for conduct, the bill's language would leave room for judges to weigh the urgency of the information extracted from detainees during rough interrogations.

The revised Senate bill also would bar detainees held by the United States from bringing legal action against the government to challenge the legality of their detention or treatment. It would bar the collection of damages by detainees for violations of the Geneva Conventions, which set the minimum standards for wartime treatment. Both provisions were sought by the administration, although their language is not as sweeping as the White House preferred.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091101162.html

[jayfish]

1. Duh!

If anyone really thought that these three clowns were gonna be a hedge against total Bushism, they should hang their heads.

Jay

[datadiva]

2. No Shame n/t

[Erika]

3. W blurring the line between the evil doers and us

Like Hannity said "rip out the nails of Saddam until he tells us where the WMD's are"

Bush is the biggest part of the axis of evil.

[ninkasi]

4. They are nothing

but a bunch of savages. It would, I guess, have to "shock the conscience" of Dubya, and we know he doesn't have one. Damn, I have such utter contempt for them all. This is absolutely incredible. Remind me, when did America die, and this fascist regime take over?

[Theduckno2]

5. Why would "fraternity pranks" shock their consciences?

These people are teeth-grinding loathsome.

They will probably put forth a justification that they have to roughly treat detainees that have no usable information on the grounds that the detainee is deliberately undermining the investigation by not knowing anything.

[Eugene]

6. Giving BushCo the urgency excuse effectively grants a license to torture.

The end always justifies the means for the Bush administration.
The urgency of the situation always justifies breaking the rules.

Congress may not give Bush everything he wants on paper, but the
administration consistently interprets the law to let the president
do whatever he wants. These concessions give the Bushies an opening
that they will exploit to the fullest while the "shocks the conscience"
standard codifies their already low standards for acceptable conduct.

[Rex]

7. Of course they do!

It's not fascism until they knock down your door! Anything else is helping the terrorists succeed in destroying our freedoms. Don't forget; if they destroy our freedoms, we won't have the privilege to speak freely! It is a privilege to speak, just ask a torture victim! Torture is patriotic!

[Kagemusha]

8. "not as sweeping as the WH preferred"!?!? How much worse can it be!?!

Just unbelievable. This administration shocks the conscience.

[countmyvote4real]

9. Are you ready for a change? In NY it's Tasini.

Vote for Progressive candiates on Sept 12 Primaries.

[depakid]

10. "Shocks the conscience" begs the question

as to whether most Republicans actually HAVE a conscience.

The evidence seems pretty clear to me that they don't- in which case, the language in the "concession" is more or less moot.

[rodeodance]

11. lots of press hype about how these mod Repugs Bucked the WH-but

seems in the end they will mostley cave in.

whow. whow whow.

[mom cat]

12. This must be fillabustered!

[VegasWolf]

13. Rove must have passed around the donkey pictures again as a reminder.nt

[roguevalley]

14. no conscience. none of them. they all deserve to go to hell some day

[Solly Mack]

15. and they define what shocks the conscience...just as they define what is

torture

so if it doesn't meet their definition of torture, then how can it shock the conscience?

America IS a war crime nation, headed by a war criminal and abetted by a Congress that has a good many war crime enablers.

[damntexdem]

16. When this finally comes to the Senate, ...

will Dem senators fillibuster it? That will be a real test.