Senate to Engage in Debate Over Detainees

[tuvor]

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - The Senate this week will engage in a politically volatile debate over the U.S. military's treatment of terrorism suspects as fresh allegations of prisoner abuse surface and support builds for legislation to establish standards for handling detainees.

Led by Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, a group of Republicans wants to have amendments imposing restrictions on the detention, interrogation and prosecution of prisoners tacked onto the $440 billion military spending bill the Senate is to vote on by weeks' end.

Senators offered the same proposals in the summer as the Senate worked on a bill setting
Pentagon policy. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., scuttled that bill in part because of White House opposition to the detainee proposals.

Undeterred, McCain, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam, resurrected his legislation this week. His amendment would ban the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in U.S. custody and require all U.S. troops to follow procedures in the Army Field Manual when they detain and interrogate suspects.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051005/ap_on_go_co/congress_detainees

[LynnTheDem]

1. OFFICIAL; America endorses TORTURE.

BUSH ENDORSES TORTURE and endangers all of us.

STOP LAUGHING, HITLER!

[DLnyc]

2. About f-ing time

Can they put a rider to have Rumsfeld arrested on war crimes charges?

[meganmonkey]

3. This should be rich

listening to our elected (sic) leaders trying to DEFEND THE ILLEGAL USE OF TORTURE. This is so fucked up

x(

[RSchewe]

4. I'll believe it when I see it... n/t