House Delays Vote on U.S. Treatment of Terrorism Suspects (save VP)

[rodeodance]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/04/politics/04detain.html?th&emc=th

November 4, 2005
House Delays Vote on U.S. Treatment of Terrorism Suspects
By ERIC SCHMITT

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 - The House Republican leadership has delayed a vote on a proposed ban against cruel and degrading treatment of prisoners in American custody, and Democrats say the move is an effort to spare Vice President Dick Cheney an embarrassing defeat.

House Democrats, led by Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania, had planned to offer a motion this week to endorse language in a military spending bill, written by Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, that would prohibit abusive treatment of terror suspects. The motion would instruct House negotiators to adopt Mr. McCain's precise language, which the Senate approved last month, 90 to 9. The White House has threatened to veto any bill containing the provision, saying it would restrict the president's ability to fight terrorism and protect the country.

The White House, in negotiations led by Mr. Cheney, is insisting that the Central Intelligence Agency be exempted from the proposed ban.

While not binding, the motion would put pressure on conferees who are trying to wrap up work on the underlying $453 billion military spending bill by next week. House Republicans have warned the White House that the motion is likely to pass.

[mbperrin]

1. "negotiations led by Mr. Cheney"?

Who? "Go Fuck Yourself" Cheney?

That's a NEGOTIATION?

To rehash an oldie:
Dick Cheney before he dicks you.

[rodeodance]

2. Dems pounced on Hasturd.

...Democrats on Thursday were quick to accuse Mr. Hastert, a close friend and political ally of Mr. Cheney, of taking steps to postpone a vote that would embarrass the vice president at a time when his former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby Jr., is under indictment in the C.I.A. leak case.

"At a time when we should be protecting American service men and women from torture and improving our sullied international reputation, the majority in the House is more interested in protecting the vice president and this administration from embarrassment," said Representative Ellen O. Tauscher, a California Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Representative Jane Harman of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a telephone interview that the White House's opposition to Mr. McCain's provision was damaging the United States' image aboard. "It's hurting the U.S. moral position to have it be perceived that some in our government want no rules," Ms. Harman said.

[rodeodance]

4. Repugs have warned the WH that the motion is likely to pass.

.....While not binding, the motion would put pressure on conferees who are trying to wrap up work on the underlying $453 billion military spending bill by next week. House Republicans have warned the White House that the motion is likely to pass.

[rodeodance]

5. Recall that this motion passed the Senate 99-0 (McCain motion).

....Last month, Mr. Cheney and the C.I.A. director, Porter J. Goss, urged Mr. McCain to support an exemption for the agency, arguing that the president needed maximum flexibility in dealing with global terrorism.

Mr. McCain rejected the proposed exemption, which stated that the measure "shall not apply with respect to clandestine counterterrorism operations conducted abroad, with respect to terrorists who are not citizens of the United States, that are carried out by an element of the United States government other than the Department of Defense and are consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States and treaties to which the United States is a party, if the president determines that such operations are vital to the protection of the United States or its citizens from terrorist attack."

[SillyGoose]

3. Doesn't this offer proof that our gov't knew of the torture,

condoned it and wants it to continue?

The White House has threatened to veto any bill containing the provision, saying it would restrict the president's ability to fight terrorism and protect the country.

The White House, in negotiations led by Mr. Cheney, is insisting that the Central Intelligence Agency be exempted from the proposed ban.

[rodeodance]

6. and looked the other way.

[Mnemosyne]

7. These "people" are totally reprehensible. n/t