Senate Approves Detainee Treatment Rules

Just yesterday Bush was telling reporters he still had plenty of political capital. Now we can see why the country has such huge debt - he obviously cannot tell when he has drastically overspent.

Defying the White House, Senators have overwhelmingly (90-9) voted for an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill which that would prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held and require all service members to follow procedures in the Army Field Manual when they detain and interrogate terrorism suspects.

Bush had previously threatened to veto the entire $440 billion military spending bill for this year if the bill contained any such amendment.

The amendment, which had been heavily pushed by John McCain, received a massive boost from Colin Powell and 28 other senior military men and women who wrote in support of the Republican's measure.

Colin Powell wrote:

Dear Senator McCain,

I have read your proposed amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill concerning the use of the Army Field Manual as the definitive guidance for the conduct of our troops with respect to detainees. I have also studied your impressive statement introducing the amendment.

I fully support this amendment. Further, I join General Shalikashvili and the long list of other senior officers who have written you a letter in support of the Amendment.

Our troops need to hear from the Congress, which has an obligation to speak to such matters under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. I also believe the world will note that America is making a clear statement with respect to the expected future behavior of our soldiers. Such a reaction will help deal with the terrible public diplomacy crisis created by Abu Ghraib.

Sincerely,

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Retired)

Personally I want to see him and his torture-happy cronies try to justify nixing the whole bill just to keep their sadistic hobby. Even FOX ran, without edit, the AP report that ends "scrapping a measure that provides money for pay raises, benefits, equipment and weapons for troops while the country is fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would open the president to a flood of criticism."

Update

Scott Shields has the list of the nine Republican Senators who want to protect the administration's ability to torture people. They are:

Wayne Allard - Colorado

Kit Bond - Missouri

Tom Coburn - Oklahoma

Thad Cochran - Mississippi

John Cornyn - Texas

James Inhofe - Oklahoma

Pat Roberts - Kansas

Jeff Sessions - Alabama

Ted Stevens - Alaska

Cornyn again...the guy has taken so many ridiculously far-right positions lately its surprising he doesn't just wear a swastika armband and a leather trenchcoat.