Bill Would Require Interrogation Opinion

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government would have to provide a legal opinion on whether certain specified interrogation techniques are considered cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under a bill a Senate panel approved Thursday.

Reflecting a long-standing concern in Congress that U.S. troops need clear guidelines, the requirement is part of a sweeping Senate Armed Services Committee measure that outlines Defense Department policies and provides a spending blueprint for next year.
...
Details of the new reporting requirement in the Senate bill weren't immediately available Thursday, and it was unclear how that "legal opinion" would differ from a long-awaited military manual that was to include appropriate interrogation techniques.

The Pentagon and the Army have been reviewing a draft of the manual for more than a year and were about to release a final version last week when debate over it intensified.

In private conversations, Warner, Levin and McCain cautioned the Pentagon that keeping parts of the manual secret could raise suspicions that the United States was violating international and U.S. laws and rules governing detainee treatment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR2006050400220.html

what's one more when he's ignored over 750 so far?

Senate Panel Seeks US Policy on Detainee Treatment
By REUTERS
Published: May 4, 2006

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Armed Services Committee called on Thursday for a legal definition of inhumane treatment of military detainees as it pressed the Bush administration to comply with a law banning mistreatment of such prisoners.

The committee called for a legal opinion from federal departments to pin the administration down on its treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other terrorism suspects as lawmakers cleared a $517.7 billion defense authorization bill.

The measure seeks the administration's stance on whether techniques such as forcing an inmate to wear women's underwear or simulating the sensation of drowning complied with the law passed last year barring cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners.

The measure "shows bipartisan dissatisfaction" with the Bush administration's response on setting out a clear policy on detainee treatment, a committee aide said.

Over President George W. Bush's objections, Congress last year passed a law spearheaded by Arizona Republican John McCain that set standards for treating military prisoners in the wake of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and harsh interrogations at the Guantanamo base in Cuba....

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/washington/politics-arms-congress.html