Hope for quick action on Bush plan on interrogations of suspected terrorists - Americas - International Herald Tribune

You can't beat them by becoming them, George.

Hope for quick action on Bush plan on interrogations of suspected terrorists - Americas - International Herald Tribune:

To many of President George W. Bush's allies, it is time to free intelligence officials from 'legislative purgatory' and get the CIA back in the business of effective interrogations of suspected terrorists.

That chance could come this week if the Senates takes up a White House proposal limiting the punishable offenses that CIA interrogators may face when questioning 'high-value' terrorist suspects. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Republican of Tennessee, is expected to begin debate on the bill as early as Tuesday.

Through omissions and legal definitions, the proposal could authorize harsh techniques that critics contend potentially violate the Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of war prisoners. These methods include hypothermia, stress positions and 'waterboarding,' a practice of simulated drowning.

The bill would keep in law prohibitions on war crimes such as rape and torture that are widely accepted as illegal.