i don't know if he'd dare, considering the amount of votes it got.

McCain says 'Mr. President, let me just close by noting that I hold no brief for the prisoners. I do hold a brief for the reputation of the United States of America. We are Americans, and we hold ourselves to humane standards of treatment of people no matter how evil or terrible they may be. To do otherwise undermines our security, but it also undermines our greatness as a nation. We are not simply any other country. We stand for something more in the world - a moral mission, one of freedom and democracy and human rights at home and abroad. We are better than these terrorists, and we will we win. The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don't deserve our sympathy. But this isn't about who they are. This is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies.'

this should be interesting.

interesting kuro5hin post on this

Has he vetoed anything yet? I doubt the first would be this, but then he's surprised me before with his abject idiocy, so...

i don't think he has. i think he mentioned potentially vetoing one bill but it was at the end of a session and conveniently died.

also, the vote was like 90-9 which means potential veto-overturn.

Chaney warned McCain that regardless of the vote, the bill would definately be vetoed. I can't imagine that chaney would make such a threat if he didn't fully intend to have bush veto it.

It doens't really matter though if the bill is vetoed or not. What will change if a law is created banning torture of prisoners of war? they'll do EXACTLY what they're doing in guantanamo, they're not 'prisoners' they're 'enemy combatants'. the geneiva convention doesn't apply to enemy combatants.

also, the vote was like 90-9 which means potential veto-overturn.

ha, nice. I almost hope he does veto it then.

barch is right. I think what's pissing the Bush camp off so much is merely the implied suggestion this bill and its sponsors are making that ill treatment has been going on with the administration's approval.

Worth noting that this is an Iraq/Afghanistan spending bill with an anti-torture attachment, so if shrubby vetos it he'll be failing to support the troops. His own party has pretty much put him in a box on this one, which is a new development.

You don't go on a date and sign a contract saying you won't come in her mouth. Bush won't go to war with a contract forbidding torture.