Sen. Dodd's Bill -Takes Away Bush's Ability - To Be "The Decider" - Re: Geneva Conventions

[kpete]

Limiting the Authority of the President to Interpret the Geneva Conventions and Mandating Congressional and Judicial Oversight

...the scariest parts of the MCA is the power it gives Bush in deciding for himself what the Geneva Conventions mean.

According to the MCA:

As provided by the Constitution and by this section, the President has the authority for the United States to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and to promulgate higher standards and administrative regulations for violations of treaty obligations which are not grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

Dodd's bill simply strikes the italicized part above about Bush interpreting the Geneva Conventions and replaces it with this:

… the President has the authority, subject to congressional oversight and judicial review, to promulgate higher standards and administrative regulations for violations of treaty obligations which are not grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

..................

.. Dodd, whose father was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, ended his floor speech on his legislation by reinforcing the importance of a nation maintaining its long-held ideals, regardless of temporary dangers.

"America has always stood for something more. Our leaders at Nuremberg, including the young prosecutor Thomas Dodd, my father, rejected the certainty of execution for the uncertainty of a trial," said Dodd. "In doing so, we reaffirmed the ideal that this nation should never tailor its eternal principles to the conflict of the moment, because if we did, we would be walking in the footsteps of the enemies we despised."



very good breakdown and explanation of this new and important legislation at:
http://www.democrats.com/node/11132

[datadiva]

1. Thanks for posting this

Congressional and Judicial oversight. Checks and balances. We don't need no damn dictator.

[Alexander]

2. So, is Dodd running for president?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. He is seriously considering it, yes. n/t

[Vidar]

3. Good for Dodd.

[stellanoir]

4. Phew

just plain phew.

[Peace Patriot]

6. Christopher Dodd is a major Corporate snake in the grass...

...who colluded with the biggest crooks in the Anthrax Congress, Tom Delay and Bob Ney, to corrupt and destroy our election system from one end of the country to the other, with electronic voting machines and central tabulators, run on TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by Bushite corporations.

Now he wants to benefit from it.

I heard his announcement of his exploratory run for president on the Al Franken Show (with a substitute host) about a month ago. He said that Hillary "is in trouble with the antiwar crowd" and we don't want any "losers" as candidates (Gore, Kerry). And that leaves HIM. The Bilderberg Group's candidate.

Christopher Dodd is a menace to our democracy. I wouldn't believe a word this man said, and I wouldn't trust anything he did.

[The Count]

9. Dude, your timing sucks!

It's almost as appropriate as "Why didn't Clinton respond to 9/11 lies earlier?"
When someone does something good, you applaud. Or NOT.

[jody]

7. IMO Bush will veto the bill and congress will never override the veto. n/t

[The Count]

8. Now THAT's why I voted for democrats. Not draft.

Too bad all the good some do will be drowned in Rangel's little stunt.
But bravo Dodd!