Some follow-up on a story I’d briefly mentioned a few Picket Lines back: “President Bush… distanced himself from his administration’s quiet effort to push through a law that would make it easier to send captured terror suspects to countries where torture is used. The proposed law, recently tacked onto a much larger bill despite the fallout from last spring’s interrogation scandal, is seen as an attempt to counter a recent Supreme Court decision that would free some terror detainees being held without trial.”
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was responsible for the bill, said that the controversial provision was the White House Department of Homeland Security’s idea. He speculates as to the Dubya Squad’s change of heart: “For whatever reason, the White House has decided they don’t want to take this on because they’re afraid of the political implications.”
I’d almost given up hope that being pro-torture might be a political liability in the United States. I’m heartened to discover that the Dubya Squad, at least, fears that this is the case.
