Posted by
Sackco on Friday, September 22, 2006 9:17:03 AM
Senator Warner,
The so-called compromise between you three courageous Republican senators (yourself, Sen. McCain, and Sen. Graham) and the president has a provision that gives me great concern.
This morning on CNN.com I read a report saying that under the terms of the agreement the president would have "the authority for the United States to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions."
History and court records, for that matter, reveal that time and again when this administration interprets the meaning of any law the outcome is a power grab by Mr. Bush and another hole in the monument of civil liberties that our founding fathers bequeathed to us. The erosion of our liberties through his interpretations and through his prolific signing statements are a blot upon his administration. Now, to give him license to interpret a treaty, both widely adhered to and crucial to the safety of captured Americans, potentially brings a blot upon our entire nation and is something for which we all might suffer.
I believe that President Clinton recently suggested that in an extremely unusual case in which it was known without doubt - without doubt - that a person in custody had information regarding a plan underway that would culminate in a catastrophic attack on the United States within two or three days a president could issue an executive order in which he personally takes responsibility for interrogation techniques that are otherwise illegal. I believe that in each and every case in which there is any blurring of the lines protecting a person in custody the president must - must - take personal and documented responsibility.
As I commented in a recent email to you, Americans are strong enough, courageous enough, and honorable enough to prevail against our enemies without shedding our core values of fairness and integrity.
Please reconsider this compromise and move to strike from it the opportunity for a president, particularly this president, to "interpret" the Geneva conventions.
Sincerely,
David Sackrider