Bush Gesture to McCain: Less than Meets the Eye

By Ray McGovern
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Friday 16 December 2005

In deciding not to follow through on his threat to veto Sen. John McCain’s amendment against torture, Bush actually surrendered very little. Torture is still in the eyes of the beholders in the defense and intelligence communities.

The unseemly spectacle of Vice President Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush openly opposing the McCain amendment banning torture for a torturous five months has done irreparable harm to America’s standing abroad. The damage will not be attenuated by the president’s reluctant acquiescence to the McCain amendment yesterday. The most that can be said is that the harm would have been still greater if McCain caved in to Cheney’s incredibly obtuse opposition, or if Bush had to veto must-pass defense legislation in order to defeat the amendment.