(September 15, 2006)--President Bush urged Congress Friday to come together on a bill to spell out strategies for interrogating and trying terrorism suspects, saying "the enemy wants to attack us again."

In a White House news conference, Mr. Bush pushed Congress to approve military tribunals for terror suspects, calling them necessary to bring the those responsible for the 9/11 attacks to justice.

Speaking from the Rose Garden, Mr. Bush said he will work with Congress to pass an acceptable measure that would allow the CIA to continue interrogating terrorism suspects, a program he calls "vital."

Without a law that lays out clear rules for interrogations of suspected terrorists, Mr. Bush said, the “program won’t go forward”

Mr. Bush wants Congress to lay out clearly the obligations of the US under Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and its ban on ” outrages upon personal dignity,” which he calls vague and open to interpretation.

Click Here For Text Of Article 3

“This program won’t go forward if there’s vague standards applied like those in Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions,” Mr. Bush said.

“You can’t ask a young professional on the front line of protecting this country to violate the law,” he said.

Responding to criticism from former Secretary of State and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Colin Powell and others, Mr. Bush said it's "flawed logic" and "unacceptable to think" there's any way to compare the actions of the US and the actions of terrorists.

Powell warned the president's plans could undercut the Geneva Conventions, and put US troops at risk.

The president also failed Thursday to get the US Senate Armed Services Committee to approve his version of a plan to deal with detainees in the war on terrorism.

Committee Chairman Senator John Warner and three other Republicans voted with all the committee's Democrats against lowering the standard for the treatment of prisoners.

The bill the committee approved would allow suspects to see classified material that's being used against them and would bar the use of testimony obtained through coercion.

Like Powell, Warner fears the administration proposal would potentially put US troops at risk if other countries retaliate.

The debate, Mr. Bush said Friday is “going to define whether we can protect ourselves.”

Click Here For White House Web Site

Click Here For More Congressional Information From “Thomas”

Click Here For U.S. House Web Site

Click Here For Rep. Chet Edwards’ House Web Site

Click Here For Rep. John Carter’s House Web Site

Click Here For U.S. Senate Web Site

Click Here For Sen. John Cornyn’s Senate Web Site

Click Here For Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate Web Site

More News >>Sports >> Weather >>