Press Releases
Washington, DC – In anticipation of President Bush’s expected veto of legislation that would prohibit waterboarding and other coercive techniques by requiring the CIA to follow the Army Field Manual’s rules on interrogations, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today issued the following statement:
“It is expected that the President will veto the Intelligence authorization bill shortly. I greatly regret this veto. We are going to come back to this again and again and again -- until waterboarding and other coercive techniques are prohibited once and for all.
This President had the chance to end the torture debate for good. Yet, he chose instead to leave the door open to use torture in the future. The United States is not well-served by this.
This legislation I sponsored with Senators Hagel, Whitehouse and Feingold would have required the CIA to follow the Army Field Manual, which bans eight torture techniques, including waterboarding. It allows the use of 19 flexible and effective techniques.
By taking this action, President Bush is ignoring the advice of 43 retired generals and admirals – and 18 national security experts, including former Secretaries of State and National Security Advisors – who support this bill. This is another indication of this Administration’s inflexibility.
Torture is a black mark against the United States. It violates the U.S. and international law and the Geneva Conventions. It drives a wedge between us and our allies, making the war on terror harder to fight. And it makes it more likely our own troops will be abused by future captors.
General Petraeus and America’s other combat commanders say the techniques permitted in the Army Field Manual are effective. General Maples of the DIA and Director Mueller of the FBI say the techniques in the Army Field Manual work.
The CIA has heard the message that a majority in both houses of Congress want the uniform standard provided by the Army Field Manual. We will not stop until it becomes law.”
“It is expected that the President will veto the Intelligence authorization bill shortly. I greatly regret this veto. We are going to come back to this again and again and again -- until waterboarding and other coercive techniques are prohibited once and for all.
This President had the chance to end the torture debate for good. Yet, he chose instead to leave the door open to use torture in the future. The United States is not well-served by this.
This legislation I sponsored with Senators Hagel, Whitehouse and Feingold would have required the CIA to follow the Army Field Manual, which bans eight torture techniques, including waterboarding. It allows the use of 19 flexible and effective techniques.
By taking this action, President Bush is ignoring the advice of 43 retired generals and admirals – and 18 national security experts, including former Secretaries of State and National Security Advisors – who support this bill. This is another indication of this Administration’s inflexibility.
Torture is a black mark against the United States. It violates the U.S. and international law and the Geneva Conventions. It drives a wedge between us and our allies, making the war on terror harder to fight. And it makes it more likely our own troops will be abused by future captors.
General Petraeus and America’s other combat commanders say the techniques permitted in the Army Field Manual are effective. General Maples of the DIA and Director Mueller of the FBI say the techniques in the Army Field Manual work.
The CIA has heard the message that a majority in both houses of Congress want the uniform standard provided by the Army Field Manual. We will not stop until it becomes law.”
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