WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday threatened to veto a massive Senate bill for $442 billion in next year's defense programs if it moves to regulate the Pentagon's treatment of detainees or sets up a commission to investigate operations at Guantanamo Bay prison and elsewhere.
The Bush administration, under fire for the indefinite detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and questions over whether its policies led to horrendous abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, put lawmakers on notice it did not want them legislating on the matter.
In a statement, the White House said such amendments would "interfere with the protection of Americans from terrorism by diverting resources from the war."
"If legislation is presented that would restrict the president's authority to protect Americans effectively from terrorist attack and bring terrorists to justice," the bill could be vetoed, the statement said.
Democrats on Thursday said they would push an amendment to establish an independent national commission to investigate policies that led to abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay which mostly holds prisoners picked up from the U.S.-led offensive in Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, the Armed Services Committee's top Democrat, said the commission on detainee abuses was needed because "the most serious scandal in recent military history needs an objective investigation."
Levin said the commission should be modeled on the bipartisan commission that probed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said the Pentagon's own investigations into detainee abuses left "huge gaps ... The military reviewing itself, that's not good enough."
Do you understand this story? President Bush is going to veto next year's defense budget because he does not like the idea of Congress setting up a commission to investigate of torture and prisoner abuse at Gitmo and other military prisons holding suspected terrorists. And with this veto, the Bush PR machine is blaming Congress for causing America to be weakened against terrorist attacks--even though Congress is willing to pass a big defense bill. The only problem is that George Bush does not want Congress to be investigating into the Gitmo or Abu Ghraib scandals, and the White House involvement into those scandals.
I hope the Democrats stand up to this White House abuse of power. The Democrats should draw a line into the sand, saying "Fine--veto the defense bill. But then we're not going to allow any contingency funding for the war in Iraq, or defense to be passed." Then filibuster every spending bill that comes up. And while you're filibustering the bills, tell the American people that you are willing to give the president the money he wants, but only after the president agrees to allow Congress to investigate these incidents. Start presenting these White House abuses of power--the Gitmo scandals, the Abu Ghraib tortures, Valerie Plamegate. Keep pushing these scandals out against the White House, keep showing the abuses of power.
Because that is what this story is....An abuse of power by President Bush.
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