by TChris

Three Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee -- John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and John Warner -- are unhappy that "the Pentagon has failed to hold senior officials and military officers responsible for the abuses that took place" at Abu Ghraib and other prisons. They intend to introduce legislation that would prohibit the military from concealing prisoners from the Red Cross, ban degrading treatment of detainees, and require interrogators to use only approved techniques. All very reasonable, and so of course the Bush administration wants none of it.

In an unusual, 30-minute private meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday night, [Vice President Dick] Cheney warned three senior Republicans on the Armed Services Committee that their legislation would interfere with the president's authority and his ability to protect Americans against terrorist attacks.

The proposed legislation could be tacked onto the $442 billion Pentagon authorization bill, which will be debated on the Senate floor next week.