And by web, I mean extraordinary rendition, secret prisons and alternative interrogation practices – ya know, things that should be denounced by a civilized society.
Opponents of a measure that would require President George W. Bush to reveal details of the U.S. intelligence budget and operations of secret CIA prisons blocked the legislation today from a final vote.
Senator Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, led opposition to the legislation, which he said would compromise national security. In a 41-40 vote, the measure’s opponents prevented its supporters from mustering the backing from at least 60 senators needed to limit debate and bring the measure to a vote.
Here is the link to the actual bill. Keep in mind that the “Trust Me” phase of the Bush Administration is still progressing strongly within the ranks of the GOP. They see no need for oversight, even though countless incidents of reckless abuse of power runs rampant from the Executive Branch.
They can’t even pretend to be unaware of the scope of torture being used by this government. The misAdministration admits it readily.
Zubaydah was transferred to Guantanamo in September, along with 13 other “high-value” captives who had been held in secret CIA prisons. The New York Times has said his interrogators stripped him naked, held him in an ice-cold room and subjected him to deafeningly loud music.
President George W. Bush has denied Zubaydah and the other prisoners were tortured in CIA custody but said in a Sept. 6 speech that interrogators used “an alternative set of procedures” to get information from them that thwarted attacks against the United States.
Blogger Kevin Spidel, now working for Amnesty International, has clips of yesterday’s Congressional testimony on the torture flights aspect of this evil web.
Crossposted from Left End of the Dial v2.0, also at Latino Político
It should also be noted that I refuse to let the Democrats off the hook on these issues. They were complicit in the initial passage and lack of denouncement for many of these horrible practices.
Only Snowe and Hagel crossed the aisle.
I understand the Repbulicans also filbustered the legislation that would have permitted Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies.
What a horrible day.
The one thing you can say about the Republicans is that they have the balls to use the filibuster which is more than you can say for “our side.”
dry powder is apparently the key ingredient to cook up a spineless political party.
I’ve been thinking about judybrowni all day today, and how she was often derided for “spamming” diaries with the links to contact elected officials on Alito.
All the talk about a Big Tent Party is what blurs the line between the GOP and Dems and it’s obvious to me that it is a recipe for disaster.
Well, you do recall one of the OTHER uses for saltpeter (one of the main ingredients in the kind of powder being referenced in the saying), right?
Yeah.
The Anti-Viagra.
It seems to work.
It’s all so…
underwhelming
🙂
This will insure the continuance of a practice that has not made the world safer while providing further grist for the mill of terrorism.