[I]t might be concluded that the Bush
administration has committed itself to ending the use of practices falling just short of torture that it has used on foreign detainees
since 2002. But it has not. Instead, it is explicitly reserving the right to abuse prisoners, while denying them any
opportunity to seek redress in court. Having publicly accepted the ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Mr. Bush is
planning to ignore it whenever he chooses. …
The president made his intentions clear in signing the defense bill
containing the McCain amendment last month. Mr. Bush issued a presidential signing statement saying his administration would interpret
the new law “in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President to supervise the unitary executive branch and as
Commander in Chief and consistent with the constitutional limitations on the judicial power.” The language refers to the assertion by the
president’s lawyers that his powers allow him, in wartime, to ignore statutes passed by Congress.
Terrorism By Dan Balz and Claudia Deane, Washington Post Staff Writers
Nearly two in three Americans surveyed said they
believe that federal agencies involved in anti-terrorism activities are intruding on the personal privacy of their fellow citizens, but
fewer than a third said such intrusions are unjustified. …
So far, recent disclosures about domestic spying have not
hurt Bush’s public standing. According to the poll, his job approval rating stands at 46 percent, down one percentage point
from last month. …
Among Republicans, 75 percent said the Bush program is acceptable, while 61 percent of Democrats said it is
unacceptable. Independents called the program unacceptable by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent.