House OKs Terrorism Detainee Bill

Senate Is Expected To Pass Measure On Thursday

(CBS/AP)  The House approved legislation Wednesday giving the Bush administration authority to interrogate and prosecute terrorism detainees, moving the president to the edge of a pre-election victory with a key piece of his anti-terror plan.

The 253-168 vote in the House came shortly after senators agreed to limit debate on their own nearly identical bill, all but assuring its passage on Thursday.

Republican leaders are hoping to work out differences and send Bush a final version before leaving town this weekend to campaign for the Nov. 7 congressional elections.

For nearly two weeks the GOP have been embarrassed as the White House and rebellious Republican senators have fought publicly over whether Bush's plan would give him too much authority. But they struck a compromise last Thursday, and Republicans are hoping approval will bolster their effort to cast themselves as strong on national security, a marquee issue this election year.

House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, all but dared Democrats to vote against the legislation.

"Will my Democrat friends work with Republicans to give the president the tools he needs to continue to stop terrorist attacks before they happen, or will they vote to force him to fight the terrorists with one arm tied behind his back?" he asked just before members cast their ballots.

Four Democrats and Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania are being given opportunities to offer amendments in the Senate, but all were expected to fall with lawmakers eager to adjourn this weekend to devote the next five weeks to campaigning for re-election.

While bowing to the inevitable, Democrats continued to criticize the bill. Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said defendants still won't be able to confront some classified evidence against them while allowing evidence obtained through torture.

Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Congress was acting in "an election-year frenzy" without addressing human rights and constitutional issues raised by the bill.

"I predict that the system created by this bill will be successfully challenged in the courts," Skelton said. "Our nation cannot afford to have any terrorist convictions overturned on judicial appeal."

The president wanted Congress to pass separate legislation that would have authorized warrantless surveillance of international communications of terror suspects, as well as the separate plan to establish a court system to prosecute terrorists.

But as lawmakers scurried to finish several items before leaving town this weekend and focus instead on midterm elections, Mr. Bush's terrorism surveillance bill fell to the wayside. Vast differences between House and Senate versions of the wiretapping bill cannot be bridged before week's end, Republican officials conceded.

That allowed Republicans to focus on passing a bill that would allow Mr. Bush to put the nation's most dangerous terror suspects on trial this fall ? just as voters head to the polls.

The bill will let the Pentagon move ahead with military trials of detainees at Guantanamo, providing authority the Supreme Court said President Bush didn't have by himself, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss.

It leaves the Geneva Conventions alone but says the president can interpret them. It also protects CIA agents and others from war crimes charges for using methods some define as torture.

While the bill will grant defendants more legal rights than they had under the old system, it nevertheless would permit some trial evidence not usually allowed in regular U.S. courts.

Hearsay evidence, for example, would be permitted, as long as a judge finds it to be reliable. Coerced testimony would be allowed in narrow circumstances ? generally if a judge finds it reliable and the statement was taken before a 2005 ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

[random_radar]

Someday I am sure I will find myself being tortured in a dank secret prison by my own government. In that dark hour, I will at least take some consolation in having spoken out against the methods of secrecy and torture that presaged the tyranny.

I speak out against the oppression and evil overtaking our once great nation because my conscience will not let me rest. I could go along to get along, but I value my integrity and love my neighbors too much. I know that speaking out will put me at the top of the list for receiving the very treatment I abhor.

I only have spectator knowledge of the horrors perpetrated upon others, so in some ways it is easy to speak up because the pain I will suffer in the future is only an abstraction right now. But I have suffered some in my life, and I recognize that it will be a great burden. I hope my family and friends appreciate my sacrifices.

I wonder how the people who are naively supporting the ushering in of tyranny will feel under the jackboot heel of oppression they brought upon themselves? Will they weep bitterly at being such fools? No, they will goosestep on their merry way believing they are infallible.

After all, the government doesn't go after anyone unless they deserve it, right?

[observantx]

Welcome to the Gulag States of America. I believe the Statue of Liberty is weeping.

[grumpas]

It is obvious "stopneofabs" has been listening to too much "Right Wing" hate! It has turned his brain into pure mush! Much of what he has to say doesn't make a whole lot of sense to normal people! But, isn't that the way it always is right wing nuts? After a while they start sounding like squawking parrots with the same old Bush rhetoric! They always squawk about the 3,000 killed in 9/11 but always fail to mention that Bush has ignored Osama bin laden (mastermind) for 6 years now! Instead, in all his wisdom, he went after Iraq who had nothing to do with it! After how many billions wasted on his phony "War on Terror"? But, he is right on one thing I depise Bush and everything he stands for! What he has done to this country and our long held belief's is scandelous! The only question I have to ask! Why doesn't he? People like him puff their chests up and tell us how good of patriot's they are while they give a "con artist" like Bush a blank check to undermine everything our forefather's fought and died for. How they could have so little regard for this nation and it's people they are willing to hand it over to a "snotty nosed rich never do well who has failed at everything he has ever done" to destroy is beyond me! So, I have a hard time buying they are patriot's????

[drgoodwin12]

Here is an interesting link http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2497076 if this is true I beleive it represents more of the Shiite population than the Sunnis who are always blamed for the insurgency ,yet are leaving Iraq in record numbers.ShutupMurtha what happened to your logical thinking that you displayed in previous post. You sound more like RonnieHM now.If you are a true American then go back to your logical thinking and read some more of what is goin on in Iraq,the NIE report and the fact that under this currently proposed law your neighbor if he does not like you can set you up and call in the F.B.I. and off you go.

[grahampoor]

US Citizens can be detained for life with no legal recourse under this bill.

This scenario became possible under the language changes made over the weekend behind closed doors and submitted on Sept 25:
If the military mistakenly designates you, a US Citizen, as an "Alien Enemy Combatant" and decides *not* to put you on trail. Then you *never* get any judicial review or chance to be able to prove you are a US citizen. This has not been highlighted in the coverage and only mentioned in the house debate, there seemed to be confusion on the Republic side.

Can we agree to have more than 2 days debate about this bill that effects the fundamental rights of this Republic?

[mwe3wm]

I want to thank CBS for this forum.

What I think is being overlooked here is that President Bush has been using the signing statement to interpret the law in advance of judicial review in hopes of defining any legislation to meet his needs.

He will do the same with any terrorist leagal rights legislations that will come from this congress.

President Bush has used this previously rare option to total excess. I think this shows that he believes he and his administration have and should exercise every power the percieve they have. He would be our only legislator if he had "line-item-veto" powers. Congress would send him legislation and he would customize to his needs. Congress should really think before they give up that power to the Executive Branch.

History will confirm that President Bush and the republican party have abused the trust given to them by the voters. If not for our vocal expressions of a desire for a change, I fear the Republican Party would be giving President Bush a blank check on this legislation in order to be perceived as tough on terror. At least now most Republicans that are up for election seem to be distancing themselves from President Bush.

My hope is that the current efforts by our lawmakers will guarantee basic access to due process and the law intended for non-citizens will never be used on a citizen.

Michael Edwards
Texas

[cantshutup]

but seriously i like omicronthree's statement! just deserts!

[cantshutup]

dang! shutupmurtha are you from Missouri??? there's been stories in missouri about people who were murdered and put through wood chippers and fed to pigs...sounds like a good idea but one that may have come out of the show-me state! im skeered of you shutupmurtha! lol

[planotiger]

Yeah, like that guy from Canada that we found out (much) later was just given up as a possible terrorist on bogus info - OOPS!!!!

[omicronthree]

As long as we can send the bush administration through the grinder behind them!

[shutupmurtha]

Why dont we just put all the terrorists through a tree grinder and use them as compost to help grow food for the poor? Than their lives would have been good for something.