Senate Armed Services Cmte. Passes Own Terrorism Tribunal Bill

[VolcanoJen]

Breaking now on CNN... Senate Armed Services Committee defies President Bush, votes for a bill that protects foreign-held prisoners.

Will update with a link when it emerges.

Edit: Only link I can find, so far...

Senate Panel Defies Bush on Terror - AP

WASHINGTON - A rebellious Senate committee defied President Bush on Thursday and approved terror-detainee legislation he has vowed to block, deepening Republican conflict over a key issue in the middle of congressional campaigns.

Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record), R-Va., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, pushed the measure through his panel by a 15-9 vote, with Warner and three other GOP lawmakers joining Democrats. The vote set the stage for a showdown on the Senate floor as early as next week.

[bluestateguy]

1. I'm sure Karl Rove will make a few phone calls and straighten this out

Don't celebrate yet.

[Supersedeas]

9. that snap and tug was the tightening of Party purse strings

[bluerum]

2. My bet is it also provides amnesty for the perpetrators of tortures

that have already been committed. ie: *, Dead eye dick, Rumfuck and Gone-zales will skate.

[babylonsister]

4. I wonder if they amended the War Crimes Act in his favor?

Gawd, I hope not!

Bush confesses to war crimes

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1185.sh...

George W. Bush's speech on September 6 amounted to a public confession to criminal violations of the 1996 War Crimes Act. He implicitly admitted authorizing disappearances, extrajudicial imprisonment, torture, transporting prisoners between countries and denying the International Committee of the Red Cross access to prisoners.

These are all serious violations of the Geneva Conventions. The War Crimes Act makes grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and all violations of Common Article 3 punishable by fines, imprisonment or, if death results to the victim, the death penalty.

At the same time, Bush asked Congress to amend the War Crimes Act in order to retroactively protect him and other U.S. officials from prosecution for these crimes, and from civil lawsuits arising from them. He justified this on the basis that "our military and intelligence personnel involved in capturing and questioning terrorists could now be at risk of prosecution under the War Crimes Act . . . ," and insisted that “passing this legislation ought to be the top priority” for Congress between now and the election in November.

His profession of concern for military and intelligence personnel was utterly misleading. Military personnel charged with war crimes have always been, and continue to be, prosecuted under the Universal Code of Military Justice rather than the War Crimes Act; and the likelihood of CIA interrogators being identified and prosecuted under the act is remote -- they are protected by the secrecy that surrounds all CIA operations.

more...

[acmavm]

7. Always remember, they can pass any damn thing the want.

It has absolutely no bearing on any other country. Ask Henry Kissinger. He's been watching where his ass goes for decades afraid that someone just might nab his ass and rightfully try him as a terrorist and a war criminal.

[bluerum]

10. My guess is yes. But you won't hear about it - national security. nt

[rodeodance]

14. from the IP---does NOT look like that is included in Warners bill. GOOD.

......The president's measure would go further than the Senate package in allowing classified evidence to be withheld from defendants in terror trials, using coerced testimony and protecting U.S. interrogators against legal prosecution for using methods that violate the Geneva Conventions.

[maddezmom]

3. fantastic news...Warner, McCain, and Snow

crossed over? Not that I'm a fan of any, but they get my heartfelt thanks today.

[maddezmom]

5. edit: Collins, Graham, McCain and Warner

[maddezmom]

6. first link:Defying Bush, Senate panel clears terrorism tribunals bill

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060914/pl_nm/security_usa_dc_3

[VolcanoJen]

8. Kick... updated original post with link.

:dem:

[DeepModem Mom]

11. K&R

[rodeodance]

12. AP Senate panel defies Bush on terror (I like this headline better).

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/4187306.html

Sept. 14, 2006, 2:54PM
Senate panel defies Bush on terror

By ANNE PLUMMER FLAHERTY Associated Press Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A rebellious Senate committee defied President Bush on Thursday and approved terror-detainee legislation he has vowed to block, deepening Republican conflict over a key issue in the middle of congressional campaigns.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, pushed the measure through his panel by a 15-9 vote, with Warner and three other GOP lawmakers joining Democrats. The vote set the stage for a showdown on the Senate floor as early as next week.

Earlier in the day, Bush had journeyed to the Capitol to try nailing down support for his own version of the legislation.

"I will resist any bill that does not enable this program to go forward with legal clarity," Bush said at the White House after his meeting with lawmakers.

The president's measure would go further than the Senate package in allowing classified evidence to be withheld from defendants in terror trials, using coerced testimony and protecting U.S. interrogators against legal prosecution for using methods that violate the Geneva Conventions.

[rodeodance]

13. 15-9 vote, says Warner pushed it through

[Tellurian]

20. At Last, Warner sees the Light!

Also he sees that Bush and Cheney ARE going to be held responsible for War Crimes and UN American activities.
If the Justice System in this country is dysfunctional, the World Court will step in and it's Nuremberg all over again.

Thanks, Sen. Warner.

[maddezmom]

15. Bush basically wants to be the evil dictatatorr, tyrannt

he said we had to overthrow in Iraq for doing the same things.:argh:

[cosmicdot]

18. I'd prefer: Senate panel defies Bu$h on his war crimes n/m

[Fluffdaddy]

16. Senate panel defies Bush on terror ......Yahoo News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060914/ap_on_go_co/bush_congress

[Straight Shooter]

17. I know this is a very serious topic

But the words "rebellious Senate committee" and "defied" have got me kind of giggly over here.

:woohoo:

[mom cat]

21. Love it!

[Tiggeroshii]

19. Very good. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

22. Hope they will continue to try to rejoin the human race. n/t

[Marrak]

23. The Bush-War Admin better

pull on some Depends...we won't need to subvert the Geneva Conventions to get them in court!

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:thumbsup: