The McCain torture amendment

Once again, the Whitehouse completely used John McCain to accomplish their political ends. Bush accepted the McCain torture amendment, but at the same time Bush signed an interpretative signing statement, a practice originally promoted by Alito under Reagan, which effectively claimed that his administration wasn't bound by the law.

Now, a second element of the questionable "anti-torture" deal has come into practice, this was added on at the last minute as part of the "compromise."

The Bush administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to dismiss a challenge to President George W. Bush's power to create military tribunals to put Guantanamo prisoners on trial for war crimes.

The administration's argument was based on a law signed by Bush on December 30 that limits the ability of Guantanamo prisoners caught in the president's war on terrorism to challenge their detentions in federal courts.....

The administration cited the same new law in moving last week to dismiss more than 180 cases in U.S. district court in Washington involving Guantanamo inmates who have challenged their detention.

So, out of McCain's "principled stand," the President maintains the ability to torture solely at his discretion, and now has the legal ability to block all access to judicial review on Guantanamo detentions. Worked out kinda like McCain's Campaign Finance Reform, didn't it?