Post by Moses on Jul 26, 2005 23:31:30 GMT -5
Senate puts off fight on Pentagon detainees
26 Jul 2005 22:46:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
Background
CRISIS PROFILE: Afghanistan still the ‘sick man’ of Asia
(Adds Sens. Levin, Warner grafs 13-14)
By Vicki Allen
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - Senate leaders were forced on Tuesday to halt work on a major defense bill, postponing a fight with the White House that threatened a veto if the bill restricted the Pentagon's treatment of military prisoners or delayed work on base closings across the country.
After failing to get the 60 votes out of 100 needed to restrict amendments on the bill authorizing $442 billion in defense programs, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist moved on to legislation to give the gun industry broad protections from civil liability lawsuits.
Democrats blasted Frist for dropping the defense bill in favor of the gun legislation.
The U.S. Congress is slated to leave this weekend for a monthlong recess, and will return on Sept. 5. Frist, a Tennessee Republican, declined to say when he would return to the defense bill.
"It appears that the Republican leadership is more concerned about the gun lobbyists in three-piece suits than the men and women who are serving our country in uniform," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip.
The Bush administration had worked to block measures to ban cruel and degrading treatment of prisoners pushed by fellow Republicans including Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia and Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
The White House, under fire for the indefinite detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay and questions over whether its policies led to abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, threatened to veto the defense authorization bill if it regulated the Pentagon's detainee procedures or called for further investigations.
Vice President Dick Cheney met at the Capitol last week with Warner, McCain and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham to try to deter them from offering prisoner amendments.
But they said they would press ahead with measures including barring the holding of "ghost" detainees whose names are not disclosed, codifying a ban against cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and using the Army manual as a basis for all interrogations.
McCain said he was disappointed the defense bill was pulled, but that the detainee issue remained alive.
"I'm here to stay on this issue. I think it's important we have congressional blessing on what's going on" at Guantanamo, added Graham.
Democrats said the White House did not want the issue debated on the Senate floor, and said they thought the legislation had enough bipartisan support to pass.
"I think there is a majority of support for some kind of detainee policy," said Carl Levin of Michigan, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Warner said putting detainee policies into law would deflect calls from Democrats for an independent commission to conduct a broad investigation of the administration's treatment of prisoners from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which the White House vehemently opposes.
A bipartisan group of senators from states slated to be hit hard by proposed military base closings also kept their efforts alive to delay the base closings.
The Senate voted 50-48 on Frist's motion to curtail debate on the bill, well short of the 60 votes needed.
Lawmakers agreed the defense bill will come up again this year, and detainee policies likely will be debated along with proposed military base closings and other measures including expanded military benefits.
"Defense authorization is the only authorization bill that must be taken up each year," Levin said. "I don't think the Senate is willing to trash that tradition in order to satisfy the White House on various issues." (additional reporting by Richard Cowan)
26 Jul 2005 22:46:20 GMT
Source: Reuters
Background
CRISIS PROFILE: Afghanistan still the ‘sick man’ of Asia
(Adds Sens. Levin, Warner grafs 13-14)
By Vicki Allen
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - Senate leaders were forced on Tuesday to halt work on a major defense bill, postponing a fight with the White House that threatened a veto if the bill restricted the Pentagon's treatment of military prisoners or delayed work on base closings across the country.
After failing to get the 60 votes out of 100 needed to restrict amendments on the bill authorizing $442 billion in defense programs, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist moved on to legislation to give the gun industry broad protections from civil liability lawsuits.
Democrats blasted Frist for dropping the defense bill in favor of the gun legislation.
The U.S. Congress is slated to leave this weekend for a monthlong recess, and will return on Sept. 5. Frist, a Tennessee Republican, declined to say when he would return to the defense bill.
"It appears that the Republican leadership is more concerned about the gun lobbyists in three-piece suits than the men and women who are serving our country in uniform," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip.
The Bush administration had worked to block measures to ban cruel and degrading treatment of prisoners pushed by fellow Republicans including Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman John Warner of Virginia and Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
The White House, under fire for the indefinite detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay and questions over whether its policies led to abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, threatened to veto the defense authorization bill if it regulated the Pentagon's detainee procedures or called for further investigations.
Vice President Dick Cheney met at the Capitol last week with Warner, McCain and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham to try to deter them from offering prisoner amendments.
But they said they would press ahead with measures including barring the holding of "ghost" detainees whose names are not disclosed, codifying a ban against cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and using the Army manual as a basis for all interrogations.
McCain said he was disappointed the defense bill was pulled, but that the detainee issue remained alive.
"I'm here to stay on this issue. I think it's important we have congressional blessing on what's going on" at Guantanamo, added Graham.
Democrats said the White House did not want the issue debated on the Senate floor, and said they thought the legislation had enough bipartisan support to pass.
"I think there is a majority of support for some kind of detainee policy," said Carl Levin of Michigan, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Warner said putting detainee policies into law would deflect calls from Democrats for an independent commission to conduct a broad investigation of the administration's treatment of prisoners from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which the White House vehemently opposes.
A bipartisan group of senators from states slated to be hit hard by proposed military base closings also kept their efforts alive to delay the base closings.
The Senate voted 50-48 on Frist's motion to curtail debate on the bill, well short of the 60 votes needed.
Lawmakers agreed the defense bill will come up again this year, and detainee policies likely will be debated along with proposed military base closings and other measures including expanded military benefits.
"Defense authorization is the only authorization bill that must be taken up each year," Levin said. "I don't think the Senate is willing to trash that tradition in order to satisfy the White House on various issues." (additional reporting by Richard Cowan)