House OK's bill on terror detainee trials

WASHINGTON -- The House approved legislation yesterday giving the Bush administration authority to interrogate and prosecute terrorism detainees, moving President Bush to the edge of a pre-election victory with a key piece of his antiterrorism plan.

The mostly party-line vote, 253 to 168, in the Republican-run House came shortly after senators agreed to limit debate on their own nearly identical bill, all but assuring its passage today.

Republican leaders are hoping to work out differences and send Bush a final version before leaving this weekend to campaign for the Nov. 7 congressional elections.

For nearly two weeks the GOP has been embarrassed as the White House and rebellious Republican senators have fought publicly over whether Bush's plan would give him too much authority. But they struck a compromise last Thursday, and Republicans are hoping approval will bolster their effort to cast themselves as strong on national security, a marquee issue this election year.

House majority leader John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, all but dared Democrats to vote against the legislation.

``Will my Democrat friends work with Republicans to give the president the tools he needs to continue to stop terrorist attacks before they happen, or will they vote to force him to fight the terrorists with one arm tied behind his back?" he said just before members cast their ballots.

Democrats opposed the bill by about a 5-to-1 margin, with many wanting to tone down the powers it would give to Bush and the limits it would impose on terror suspects' abilities to defend themselves during trials.

Dennis J. Kucinich, Democrat of Ohio, said, ``This bill is everything we don't believe in."

The legislation would establish a military court system to prosecute terror suspects, a response to the Supreme Court ruling last June that a blessing by Congress was necessary.

The measure provides extensive definitions of war crimes such as torture, rape, and biological experiments, but gives Bush broad authority to decide which other techniques U S interrogators can legally use. The provisions are intended to protect CIA interrogators from being prosecuted for war crimes.

With elections just weeks away, the debate was often partisan, with some Democrats contending the bill would approve torture.

The bill also gives the president the ability to interpret international standards for prisoner treatment when an act does not fall under the definition of a war crime, such as rape or torture.

``It gives too much leeway to the president," said Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania.

Republicans defended the measure as sound.

``Is it perfect? No," said Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida. ``Do we have an obligation to pass it? Yes."