Bush Opposes Torture Ban (Jim Hightower)

[struggle4progress]

<snip> But, incredibly, the Bushites don’t want the U.S. to be different from the world’s brutes on this fundamental matter of immorality and human indecency. They are working feverishly to get the House to kill or water down McCain’s principled amendment. If that fails, the White House says that Bush will issue the first veto of his presidency, claiming that the ban on torture would tie the president’s hands.

Well, gosh ... yes! The very idea of the ban is to bind our government’s leaders to a standard of behavior recognized by all civilized nations. Military leaders know that torture yields worthless information, false confessions, and a bitter determination by the armies of those tortured to return the favor. Not only is it inherently evil to sanction, as Bush proposes to do, the “cruel, inhuman, and degrading” treatment of enemy soldiers that we capture, but it also stupidly incites America’s enemies, putting our own troops in even graver danger.

This is Jim Hightower saying ... It’s one thing for Bush, Rumsfeld & Gang to proclaim their moral bankruptcy to the world, but it’s another thing to let them drag our country’s good name down with them. After all, this is our country, not Bush’s royal fiefdom. To find out how you can help ban torture, go to HumanRightsUSA.org

[Cha]

1. bush likes Torture..

on other people.

[Demeter]

4. I've BeenTortured By Bush for 5 Years Now

as have all of us.

[rodeodance]

2. Cheney went to Congressional folks to stop the vote. but he was rebuked.

[WhiteTara]

7. well yeah! n/t

[nickyt]

3. Can you tell me, WHEN might he veto this? At his leisure, or, is

there a time limit as to how long he has to do so?

[WhiteTara]

6. the bill is still in the senate and is only

a bill at this point. It has to be passed by both the house and the senate and then it goes to the pres for his sig and then it becomes law, so there is still some time. Call your senator and rep and demand they stand behind McCain on this and call McCain to tell him not to fold.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. I thought the Senate passed it 90 to 9?

(ie even most Republican senators think torture should be officially banned). Isn't it now waiting for the House to vote on it?

[struggle4progress]

10. It's in conference committee. eom

[WhiteTara]

11. My last info says it's in the spending bill

and hasn't passed as yet.
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/torture6e_20051006.htm
Don't freak out...this is the Detroit newspaper. :)
Only his amendment passed, but this was on Oct 6th and things may have changed. They move pretty quickly.

snip
He (McCain) said his amendment merely codifies current policy and reaffirms what was assumed to be the law for years. It would require that all U.S. troops -- and federal agencies, such as the CIA -- adhere to the interrogation standards outlined in the Army Field Manual on detention and interrogation.

Graham said: "We take this moral high ground to make sure that if our people fall into enemy hands, we'll have the moral force to say, 'You have got to treat them right.' If you don't practice what you preach, nobody listens."

But even if the Senate passes the spending bill with the anti-torture language included, both face an uncertain future. The House has passed a similar bill without the language.

Before any legislation could go to President George W. Bush, House and Senate negotiators must iron out a single version in a conference committee -- where the administration's preferences often prevail.
:shrug:

[struggle4progress]

8. Vice President for Torture

Wednesday, October 26, 2005; Page A18
... This summer Mr. Cheney told several Republican senators that President Bush would veto the annual defense spending bill if it contained language prohibiting the use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by any U.S. personnel. The senators ignored Mr. Cheney's threats, and the amendment, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), passed this month by a vote of 90 to 9. So now Mr. Cheney is trying to persuade members of a House-Senate conference committee to adopt language that would not just nullify the McCain amendment but would formally adopt cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as a legal instrument of U.S. policy. The Senate's earlier vote suggests that it will not allow such a betrayal of American values. As for Mr. Cheney: He will be remembered as the vice president who campaigned for torture.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501388.html


If you want to apply pressure now, contact congresscritters immediately and express outrage. House and Senate will both need to vote on whatever reconciliation comes out of conference committee. For the time a President has to veto a bill, see Constitution, Art I Sect 7 Par 2 ...

[WhiteTara]

5. Well put Jim, thanks for the post

Struggle4Progress. I'm foolishly filled with hope that we will see the end of the dark days, even as the dark of winter approaches.