The US Senate voted overwhelmingly last night to regulate the Pentagon's treatment of military detainees in the wake of abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere.
Senator John McCain
Defying President Bush, the Senate voted 90-9 for a bipartisan amendment to establish rules for detainee interrogation and treatment, even though the Republican administration said the measure would tie its hands as it fights terrorism.
The amendment from Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, would establish the US Army field manual as the standard for interrogations and bar degrading and inhumane treatment of anyone in US military custody.
Another amendment to the defence bill the Senate was expected to consider this week would clarify the legal status of enemy combatants at the Guantanamo Bay military prison and increase congressional oversight of their detention and release.
Mr McCain said the rules would help US soldiers, who are under intense pressure to extract intelligence from prisoners but blamed when there are excesses.
"I can understand why some administration lawyers might want ambiguity, so that every hypothetical option is theoretically open," Mr McCain said. But he said US soldiers are "crying out for clarity" and "Congress cannot shrink from this duty, we cannot hide our heads".
Criticising the administration in which he served, retired four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell backed Mr McCain's amendment, which he said in a letter would "help deal with the terrible public diplomacy crisis created by Abu Ghraib."
Lawmakers from both parties have said the abuses of prisoners in Iraq and reported mistreatment of prisoners elsewhere stemmed from the administration's murky policies.