Sept. 22, 2006 - 19:53 MDT

ALL IN THE DEFINITIONS ?

Perhaps this is the best that can be done now. I hope things will get better with time. An Article by Anne Plummer Flaherty of The Associated Press in today's Rocky Mountain News gives the latest development. Quoted here in full :

PRESIDENT, GOP DEAL ON TERROR SUSPECTS

WASHINGTON -- "The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced agreement Thrusday on rules for the interroigations and trial of supsects in the war on terror."

"President Bush urged Congress to put it into law before adjourning, probably befoe month's end, for midterm elections."

"I'm pleased to say that this agreement preserves the single most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks," the president said, shortly after administration officials and key lawmakers announced agreement following a week of high-profile intraparty disagreement."

"Sen. John McCain of Arizona, one of three GOP lawmakers who told Bush he couldn't have the legislation the way he initially asked for it, said, "This agreement that we've entered into gives the president the tools he needs to continue to fight the war on terror and bring these evil people to justice."

"There's no doubt that the integrity and letter and spirit of the Geneva Conventions have been preserved," McCain said, referring to the international treaties covering the treatment of prisoners in wartime."

"The central sticking point had been a demand from McCain, Sen. John Warner of Virginia and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that there be no attempt to redifine US. obligations under the Geneva Conventions."

The agreement contains key concessions by the White House, including dropping a provision that would have interpreted Geneva Convention obligations and another allowing a defendant to be convicted on evidence that's not disclosed if it is classified. The legislation, however, makes clear the president has the authority to enforce the treaty."

"CIA Director Michael Hayden has said the agency needed to be confident that its interrogation program for high-value terror suspects is legal."

"Much remains in the legislative process," he said in a written statement to the agency personnel. But, "if this language becomes law, the Congress will have given us the clarity and the support that we need to move forward with a detention and interrogation program that allows us to continue to defend the homeland, attack al-Qaida and protect American and allied lives."

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In a sidebar to the article, headed "Convention Breaches - - Says Agreement specifies what constitutes "grave breaches" of the Geneva Convention:

## Torture

##Cruel or inhuman treatment

## Performing biological experiments

## Murder

## Mutlation or maiming

## Intentionally causing serious bodily injury

## Rape

## Sexual assault or abuse

## Taking hostages"

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That last item on the list - - will this prevent the CIA from abducting people, sending them overseas that "extraordinary rendition" however it is called is ceased and if no hostages are taken and shipped to prisons overseas then will those prisons be closed ?

I read and hear rumbles that the CIA will be given a free hand to interrogate as they please, much as they have been doing all along. So is Mr. Bush going to claim that the Geneva Convention doesn't apply to the CIA ? ? ? ?

One thing that makes the hair raise on the back of my neck is the item quoted here, "The legistation, however, makes clear the president has the authority to enforce the treaty." So what the heck does that mean ? Will that be a fox in the henhouse sort of thing ?

I wish the full wording of the legislation could have been published.

But it looks as if things will go on according to the administrations callings, and possibly the meaning of the legislative words will be ALL IN THE DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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