The (not so) Great Compromise

The details are beginning to emerge, and it's clear why the White House is so pleased. In a word: immunity.

White House, Senators Near Pact on Interrogation Rules - washingtonpost.com

On the key issue of detainee treatment that had caused the impasse between the White House and the dissident Republicans, the two sides agreed on a list of specified crimes that could provoke prosecution of CIA interrogators and others. They also agreed that past violations of the Geneva Conventions, an international treaty barring degrading and humiliating treatment of detainees, would not result in criminal or civil legal action.

Here is a hook for the Dems to hang their hat on. In essence, the bill says Lynndie England, Charles Graner, and others go free, along with (and far more importantly, I'm sure) any commanding officers, CIA interrogators, and contractors involved. Essentially, the entrie Abu Ghraib and Gitmo chain of command, all the way up to the C in C, is absolved. Dubya has his "Get Out of Jail Free" card. We gotta fight this one.

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