oxman
09-21-2006, 03:04 PM
White House, GOP Leaders Reach Deal on Detainee Legislation
Thursday, September 21, 2006
AP
WASHINGTON — A deal announced Thursday on the latitude CIA interrogators and military lawyers are given to question and try suspected terrorists protects Americans and classified sources, and ensures U.S. values remain intact, Senate Republican leaders and Bush administration officials said.
"I'm pleased that we have agreement which meets three tests of our conference," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
"Number one, it protects Americans by ensuring that our high-value CIA program will be preserved. Number two, it guarantees that classified sources and methods will not be disclosed to the terrorist detainees. And, third, it ensures that our military can begin to try terrorists in our custody," said Frist, R-Tenn.
This deal "gives the president the tools that he needs to fight the War on Terror, and bring these people to justice," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was among the few Republican senators who had held out against Bush administration provisions for interrogating detainees.
McCain said the deal is consistent with the Detainee Treatment Act and preserves the integrity of the Geneva Conventions.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another negotiator, said the deal allows for prosecution of terrorists without revealing the methods and techniques. It makes sure those methods for interrogation don't come back to haunt the United States.
"The good news about our deliberations is that we have a framework which will allow the CIA to go forward. We also addressed the issue of military commissions" that will maintain U.S. values while still providing for the prosecution of terrorists, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said. "The bill will provide rules for interrogators to detain, question and bring to justice terrorists. It is good news and a good day for the American people."
Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said the compromsie product will now be brought to the floor, and then sent over to the House for debate. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he wanted to get the bill completed before lawmakers left Washington, D.C., next week to campaign ahead of the midterm election on Nov. 7. He said he will be taking the language to Democratic leaders very soon.
While details of the deal were still being held close to the vest, Frist said the focus of the agreement related to classified intelligence information, evidence obtained through coercion and lesser provisions.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said his chamber's work "is not over yet. I think we're very close. We're concerned most strongly with the utilization of classified information."
Prior to the announcement by senators, Hunter said he got word that senators had a "conceptual agreement on what they think would work well, particularly with respect to Geneva Convention Article 3."
The Geneva Conventions prescribe international standards for the treatment of prisoners taken in a war.
Hunter said the biggest issue for House Republicans is whether suspects and their lawyers would be permitted to see any classified evidence in the cases against them.
The House bill, which resembles more closely the administration's original proposal, allows classified evidence to bring about a conviction, even when that evidence is not disclosed to the alleged terrorists. The Senate bill had said that classified information shall not be disclosed, but then it doesn't provide for the classified evidence to be used if it's not disclosed.
Graham said his biggest concern had been about protecting classified information, but negotiators had concluded that if someone is sentenced to death, they must be allowed to see the classified evidence against them.
Hunter said those provisions need to be reviewed in the House.
"So we are very concerned, on the House side, about protecting classified evidence, not revealing it to the alleged terrorists, not revealing the names or the identity of the agents to the terrorists or allowing the terrorists to see those agents, but allowing their lawyers, if they have the appropriate security clearances ... to be able to cross-examine American agents or to review classified evidence," he said, adding that he will be reviewing the Senate deal to see if it can be reconciled with the House bill.
Good bill?.....Bad bill?.....Good compromise?
8)
Thursday, September 21, 2006
AP
WASHINGTON — A deal announced Thursday on the latitude CIA interrogators and military lawyers are given to question and try suspected terrorists protects Americans and classified sources, and ensures U.S. values remain intact, Senate Republican leaders and Bush administration officials said.
"I'm pleased that we have agreement which meets three tests of our conference," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
"Number one, it protects Americans by ensuring that our high-value CIA program will be preserved. Number two, it guarantees that classified sources and methods will not be disclosed to the terrorist detainees. And, third, it ensures that our military can begin to try terrorists in our custody," said Frist, R-Tenn.
This deal "gives the president the tools that he needs to fight the War on Terror, and bring these people to justice," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was among the few Republican senators who had held out against Bush administration provisions for interrogating detainees.
McCain said the deal is consistent with the Detainee Treatment Act and preserves the integrity of the Geneva Conventions.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., another negotiator, said the deal allows for prosecution of terrorists without revealing the methods and techniques. It makes sure those methods for interrogation don't come back to haunt the United States.
"The good news about our deliberations is that we have a framework which will allow the CIA to go forward. We also addressed the issue of military commissions" that will maintain U.S. values while still providing for the prosecution of terrorists, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said. "The bill will provide rules for interrogators to detain, question and bring to justice terrorists. It is good news and a good day for the American people."
Sen. John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said the compromsie product will now be brought to the floor, and then sent over to the House for debate. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he wanted to get the bill completed before lawmakers left Washington, D.C., next week to campaign ahead of the midterm election on Nov. 7. He said he will be taking the language to Democratic leaders very soon.
While details of the deal were still being held close to the vest, Frist said the focus of the agreement related to classified intelligence information, evidence obtained through coercion and lesser provisions.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said his chamber's work "is not over yet. I think we're very close. We're concerned most strongly with the utilization of classified information."
Prior to the announcement by senators, Hunter said he got word that senators had a "conceptual agreement on what they think would work well, particularly with respect to Geneva Convention Article 3."
The Geneva Conventions prescribe international standards for the treatment of prisoners taken in a war.
Hunter said the biggest issue for House Republicans is whether suspects and their lawyers would be permitted to see any classified evidence in the cases against them.
The House bill, which resembles more closely the administration's original proposal, allows classified evidence to bring about a conviction, even when that evidence is not disclosed to the alleged terrorists. The Senate bill had said that classified information shall not be disclosed, but then it doesn't provide for the classified evidence to be used if it's not disclosed.
Graham said his biggest concern had been about protecting classified information, but negotiators had concluded that if someone is sentenced to death, they must be allowed to see the classified evidence against them.
Hunter said those provisions need to be reviewed in the House.
"So we are very concerned, on the House side, about protecting classified evidence, not revealing it to the alleged terrorists, not revealing the names or the identity of the agents to the terrorists or allowing the terrorists to see those agents, but allowing their lawyers, if they have the appropriate security clearances ... to be able to cross-examine American agents or to review classified evidence," he said, adding that he will be reviewing the Senate deal to see if it can be reconciled with the House bill.
Good bill?.....Bad bill?.....Good compromise?
8)