House panel to block torture justification

[Edmond Dantes]

WASHINGTON -- A House committee voted Wednesday to bar the Justice Department from issuing legal justifications for the U.S. use of torture in the latest congressional reaction to government memos that seemed to permit the practice.

The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee approved the provision by voice vote after sponsor Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., said the Justice Department has acted in "outlandish fashion" in the episode, which has involved detainees in Iraq and elsewhere.

The panel used another voice vote to approve nonbinding language by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., aimed at getting the department to report on all documents it has written supporting practices that would violate the Geneva Convention or other treaties. The report would also have to state how much time the Justice Department spent preparing each document.

In a sign of the breadth of the congressional uproar over torture and the administration's condoning of the practice, Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., released a recent letter he wrote to Justice officials seeking similar information.

More....

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1153&slug=Congress%20Prisoner%20Abuse

[eaprez]

1. what took them so long?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

2. Now it's becoming bipartisan as GOPers are starting to sense...

...that their respective constituencies don't like what they're hearing and seeing in regards to torturing prisoners. They also realize, thanks to the NeoCons, that our troops are now in mortal danger if they're captured.

[shraby]

4. I have a Republican representative

and have written several times decrying the torture and to do something about the situation or I'll see to it he doesn't get re-elected next time. We have a Democrat running against him this time.

[2Design]

3. this is a start....it needs follow through

[Emboldened Chimp]

5. A voice vote? Effin cowards.