McCain Defeats Cheney

Torture Watch

The White House's official position yesterday was that this was neither a defeat nor a reversal for the president. But the press corps wasn't having any of it.

Josh White writes in The Washington Post: "President Bush reversed position yesterday and endorsed a torture ban crafted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) after months of White House attempts to weaken the measure, which would prohibit the 'cruel, inhuman, or degrading' treatment of any detainee in U.S. custody anywhere in the world. . . .

"The discussions began seriously in July, when Vice President Cheney pulled McCain, Graham and Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) into a room off the Senate floor and sternly argued that the provision could usurp the president's authority and would interfere with his ability to protect the nation from terrorist attack.

"But McCain would not budge, officials said, and after several months of tense negotiations with Cheney, he went to Bush, said congressional aides. Bush tapped national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley to take over the discussions about six weeks ago.

"First, Hadley asked McCain to exempt CIA officials from the ban on harsh treatment, a move McCain rejected. Then Hadley requested language that would allow the president or the attorney general to grant waivers in extraordinary circumstances -- such as if a terrorism suspect has information about an impending attack on the United States -- which McCain also rejected, congressional aides said."

Eric Schmitt writes in the New York Times: "For Mr. Bush, it was a stinging defeat, considering that his party controls both houses of Congress and both chambers had defied his threatened veto to resoundingly support Mr. McCain's measure. It was a particularly significant setback for Vice President Dick Cheney, who since July has personally led the administration's fight to defeat the amendment or at least exempt the Central Intelligence Agency from its provisions."

Maura Reynolds and Greg Miller write in the Los Angeles Times: "The agreement represented a rare policy reversal for Bush on his signature issue: his leadership in the battle against terrorism. It followed an unusual rebuke of the president from lawmakers in his own Republican Party, who largely fell in line behind McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war and torture survivor with unassailable authority on the subject."

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "Once again the awkward, freighted Bush-McCain relationship with all its history of rivalry and resentment took center stage in American politics yesterday, as the second-place finisher in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries forced the first-place finisher to swallow something he once opposed. . . .

"The complicated relationship between the two men has swung through many phases during Bush's presidency, from the chilly early days through a rapprochement last year when McCain joined Bush on the campaign trail. As McCain prepares his own campaign to succeed Bush in 2008, many in the White House continue to eye him warily. But Bush strategist Mark McKinnon has said he would be willing to help the senator, which some advisers consider a sign that the president has made his peace with McCain."

Peter Wallsten writes in the Los Angeles Times that "the crucial role played by McCain only accentuated his standing as a front-runner for the party's presidential nomination in 2008."

Bush and McCain "sat in chairs in front of the Oval Office fireplace, a backdrop typically used for meetings with world leaders. 'You're a good man who honors the values of America,' Bush said.

"After each man made his remarks, the president reached out his hand.