Bush, McCain Reach Compromise On Tribunal Laws
Posted on September 21, 2006
Update: I knew it was coming sooner or later….the ACLU condemns it!
Hat tip: Allah Pundit via MSNBC
The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced agreement Thursday on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror. President Bush urged Congress to put it into law before adjourning for the midterm elections.
“I’m pleased to say that this agreement preserves the single most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks,” the president said, shortly after administration officials and key lawmakers announced agreement following a week of high-profile intraparty disagreement.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, one of three GOP lawmakers who told Bush he couldn’t have the legislation the way he initially asked for it, said, “The agreement that we’ve entered into gives the president the tools he needs to continue to fight the war on terror and bring these evil people to justice.”
“There’s no doubt that the integrity and letter and spirit of the Geneva Conventions have been preserved,” McCain said, referring to international agreements that cover the treatment of prisoners in wartime.
Details of the agreement were sketchy.
Torture a key issue
The central sticking point had involved a demand from McCain, Sen. John Warner of Virginia and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for a provision making it clear that torture of suspects would be barred.One official said that under the agreement, the administration agreed to drop language that would have stated an existing ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment was enough to meet Geneva Convention obligations.
It won’t take long before the ACLU condemns it. You can bet on that.
The Blotter reports that all six techniques the CIA had requested have been approved. Those requests were:
The first — the attention grab, involving the rough shaking of a prisoner.
Second — the attention slap, an open-handed slap to the face.
Third — belly slap, meant to cause temporary pain, but no internal injuries.
Fourth — long-term standing and sleep deprivation, 40 hours at least, described as the most effective technique.
Fifth — the cold room. Prisoners left naked in cells kept in the 50s and frequently doused with cold water.
The CIA sources say the sixth, and harshest, technique was called “water boarding,” in which a prisoner’s face was covered with cellophane, and water is poured over it — meant to trigger an unbearable gag reflex.
Oh, I am shamelessly catching up on all the details from Hot Air and they have such an excellent post full of links and info that I can’t do much better than to provide the same.
I’ll provide one detail – since Dems have been hiding behind St. John on this issue, they will have a hard time announicng at this late date that McCain lacks the integrity and judgment to be trusted.
And another detail – whether this is a victory for Bush or McCain, it is not a victory for Harry Reid and the Senate Dems.
Also see the funny picture of McCain at the NY Times.
MKH has the observation of the day:
Democrats are bowing out of this one and letting Republican infighting take its course, for the most part. A couple thoughts on that. Republicans do a lot of infighting, right? This is generally counterproductive, as far as passing legislation goes. But isn’t it also illuminating that, on the major policy questions of the day, an entire political party can sit on the sidelines, and no one really notices?
Don’t worry, it will not take long for the ACLU to speak out for the rest of the liberals. They think they are a party of their own sometimes.
» Filed Under ACLU, News, War On Terror
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10 Responses to “Bush, McCain Reach Compromise On Tribunal Laws”
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Those are some pretty good ideas. But I could do better.
If you are not all talk, lets hear your better ideas. And you can’t include chaining their eyelids to monster trucks. That isn’t original. It was in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book.
Well I have quite an assortment of power tools that I’d try out. My jointer for instance could really do a number on a person’s fingers. Some of the smaller tools would probably be most effective though. I mean, you don’t want to render them totally useless because the point is of course to derive information right? That’s where the dremel comes in. I’d start grinding teeth with a high grit grinding wheel. Or just get in there with a coarse file and do it by hand. Then there’s zippo lighter fluid in the crotch. It starts out as a severe itch then over the course of an hour or so startst to burn like hell. Yes I know this from experience.
Now before any of you leftards out there start thinking I’m serious…I’m not. At least not until you people have everything so screwed up that I have to deal with these terrorists in my own front yard. And Allah doesn’t live here.
No as far as what’s proposed here. I think it doesn’t go far enough but it’s reasonable.
B.S. You are serious. I can tell you know what you are talking about from experience when you speak of the zippo fluid. You learned this one the hard way didn’t you?
Probably most who lived before the BIC, has had experience with the overfilled Zippo.
I want to know if John is old enough to remember the hollow glass tube?
I over-filled my lighter once. I was at work and noticed that my leg was itching really bad. Then it got worse and worse. So the moral of the story is children…use a bic. But not the little ones…they’re made in France.
Didn’t see your post before I wrote that last one lobo. This was only 8 years ago or so. As for glass tubes I have no clue. When I was born, The Knack had the #1 song.
A hollow glass tube was slid up a prisoner’s member and smashed with a rubber mallet (our side didn’t do this).
1979? I have never heard of “Knack”, I googled it and found their #1 in ‘79′ was “My Sharona”.
Guess I made it too easy.
I forgot to mention titty twisters, wet willies, and wedgies. Since they’re already using pink bellies I thought these should be added. Oh and beard swirlies. Can’t forget those.