The World Needs More Ninjas

If President Bush wants to veto McCain’s amendment calling for guidelines on prisoner treatment, it seems he has quite a large burden of proof to show why he’s right and an ex-POW, 90% of the Senate, active military officers, and all the major newspapers in his home state are all wrong.

• The Houston Chronicle
  

  President Bush threatens to veto a $440 billion military spending bill if the amendment is attached to its final version. Bush has cried wolf, but has never cast a veto. Vetoing this bill could produce a crisis and endanger the U.S. war effort in Iraq.

  White House officials objected to the amendment because it would limit the authority and flexibility of the president. True, but no president should have the authority or flexibility to order the torture or abuse of prisoners. It doesn’t produce usable intelligence, it endangers the safety of captured U.S. troops and it’s wrong on its face.

  The similarity of the alleged mistreatment at Guantanamo Bay to the documented prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan suggests a pattern of official encouragement or indifference. Either way, the House should follow the Senate’s lead, and President Bush should welcome a measure banning inhumane treatment of prisoners at the hands of the U.S. military.

• The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
  

  It’s hard to believe that Bush would veto a measure that passed by such a large margin in the Senate, and one that contains money to support the military, including pay raises and increased benefits for our men and women in uniform.

  Besides, how could the president or anyone else dare look McCain, a former prisoner of war, in the face and even suggest that it is ever permissible to mistreat any detainee?

• The San Antonio Express-News
  

  The Senate approved the measure by a vote of 90-9 with strong Republican support. Twenty-eight retired generals and admirals are on record supporting it.

  The amended spending bill now heads to the House, where the GOP leadership should avoid making any significant changes to the anti-torture provisions.

  The White House has threatened a presidential veto. During nearly five years in the Oval Office, Bush has yet to veto a bill. This is not the place to start.

• The Austin American-Statesman
  

  McCain, who spent years being tortured as a prisoner of war, and Graham are right to insist on high standards for the American military, and the president should support the measure.