House to Try Override of Intelligence Authorization Veto

[housewolf]

Source: CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE

The House will try Tuesday to override President Bush’s March 8 veto of intelligence authorization legislation, Democratic aides said Monday.

The vote is all but sure to fail, but aides said it would allow Democrats to continue to criticize both President Bush’s interrogation policies and opposition to the bill by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

“The point is that we’re making a clear distinction between Democrats and the Bush administration,” said a Democratic aide. “Democrats are making the case against the use of torture because it is immoral and violates our nation’s deepest values, and we will continue to fight against it.”

The bill, authorizes a classified amount of funding for intelligence agencies for fiscal 2008, and also outlaws certain harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding. The intelligence budget for fiscal year 2007 was $43.5 billion.
...

more at the link


Read more: http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002684770

[DUlover2909]

1. Yay! Good. Do what you can Congress.

[pingzing58]

2. Finally a meaningful strategy by Dems.

[trthnd4jstc]

3. At least they are trying to override this one.

I have been quite upset by the lack of spine that our leadership has exhibited with concerns to not Impeaching Bush and Cheney, the Senate voting to give telecoms blanket immunity, the two patriot acts, Nafta, China's most favored nation status, Cafta, etcetera. At least they are trying to override Bush's Veto.

[Senator]

4. Masturbatory Impeachophobic Maneuver #19

Of course they are making no "point," "distinction," or "case" as they still refuse TO DO some damn thing.

But I suppose if they must continue to publicly display their impotence, doing it over torture at least brings into stark relief just how little they're willing TO DO about something so big.

Only Impeachment is actually DOING.

---

[fascisthunter]

9. I Agree

[Thepricebreaker]

5. "The vote is all but sure to fail" ... symbolic?

[annabanana]

6. This will put the Repugs ON THE RECORD as being pro-torture.

And that fact will be of value in November... I fully expect MY rep (peter fucking king) to be an enthusiastic supporter of torture...

[Winterblues]

7. They are already on the record with their initial vote on the matter.

This is no more than Democrats wanting a pat on the back when their approval rating is just below abysmal. Impeach the Bastards for endorsing torture which is against our Constitution..If they won't do that they don't deserve any pats. IMO For those that say torture is not noted anywhere in our Constitution as Scalia has done need only realize that the USA has entered into Internation accords such as Geneva Convention in which it is plainly stated what is acceptable and the Constitution states that "treaties are the Supreme Law of the land" That means breaking these treaties is quite unConstitutional.

[damntexdem]

10. Not like they are if they oppose a veto override.

[Judi Lynn]

8. National Lawyers Guild Calls On Congress To Override Bush Veto of Intelligence Authorization Bill

March 11, 2008
1:05 PM

National Lawyers Guild Calls On Congress To Override Bush Veto of Intelligence Authorization Bill

NEW YORK - March 11 - The National Lawyers Guild calls on Congress to override George W. Bush’s veto—in direct contravention of the advice of military commanders—of the Intelligence Authorization Bill that contained a provision limiting the Central Intelligence Agency’s ability to engage in the torture technique known as waterboarding. The practice is currently prohibited by both military and law enforcement agencies. The bill would have limited U.S. interrogators to techniques permitted in the Army Field Manual on Interrogation. Senator John McCain voted against the bill, reversing his previous position on torture.

Torture is illegal under domestic and international law. The U.S. Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment, and the United States is a party to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which makes it part of U.S. law under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution. That convention prohibits torture even in wartime. Torture is also unlawful under the U.S. Torture Statute (18 USC 2340) and the U.S. War Crimes Act (18 USC 2441).

The Guild calls Congress to override Bush’s veto, and to submit reports detailing the extent to which the United States is engaging in the practice of torture. Eight years ago, in his June 26, 2003 statement on UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, George Bush said that the United States is leading by example in prohibiting torture: “The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy.”

Under the Convention Against Torture, all State parties are obliged to submit regular reports on their compliance with the treaty mandates. "The Committee Against Torture has criticized the United States for failing to comply with its legal obligations under the convention. By vetoing the anti-torture bill, Bush is signaling his clear intent to continue violating the law," said Guild President Marjorie Cohn.

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0311-07.htm

[appleannie1]

11. Instead of crabbing, we should all contact our reps

and gently remind them we are a voter and this override is extremely important to us.

[Pastiche423]

12. Like we haven't been contacting our reps already?

:eyes: