Bush argues terrorism case after Republican revolt

WASHINGTON, Sep 15 (Reuters) President George W Bush, faced with a revolt by a group of Republican allies over treatment of foreign terrorism suspects, scheduled a news conference today to argue his case.

The White House said Bush would appear in the Rose Garden at 11:15 a.m. (2045 IST).

Bush goes before reporters a day after a Senate Committee rejected the president's pleas that legislation on foreign terrorists allow CIA interrogators to use tough interrogation methods.

Instead, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 15-9 to endorse an alternative bill by Arizona Republican Sen John McCain that would protect the rights of foreign terrorism suspects.

McCain, Virginia Republican Sen John Warner and South Carolina Republican Sen Lindsey Graham made up the core of the rebellion against Bush and engineered the vote despite a personal visit by the president on Thursday.

Hours after Bush went to Capitol Hill to urge fellow Republicans to back his proposals for military commissions to put terrorism suspects on trial, the committee approved its own bill, which it said would meet demands of the US Supreme Court that struck down Bush's original plan.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush today ''will reiterate his commitment to a military commission process that provides a legal pathway to bringing terror suspects to justice and his commitment to a CIA program that has been an invaluable source of intelligence, has foiled numerous terror plots and has saved many American lives.'' The vote set up a legislative showdown during an election year in which Republicans hope to protect control of both houses of the US Congress by appearing strong on fighting terrorism.

The main debate was over White House efforts to write definitions of what would be inhumane treatment under the Geneva Conventions to give CIA interrogators guidelines on what interrogation methods may be used for a program it credits for breaking up eight terrorism plots.

Snow said the Geneva Conventions' Common Article three is vague and must be clarified to protect CIA interrogators from prosecution. The CIA will be forced to shut down its ''high value terrorist detention'' program if protections are not codified, he said.

The dust-up between Bush and his Republican allies came at a time when Bush is arguing for strong protections against the threat of terrorism, with the fifth anniversary of the September 11 fresh in Americans' minds before November congressional elections.

The Washington Post wrote in an editorial today that Bush was basically lobbying for torture and that the CIA wants permission to interrogate detainees ''with abusive practices that in the past have included induced hypothermia and 'waterboarding,' or simulated drowning.'' The committee bill would require that defendants have access to classified evidence used against them, limit the use of hearsay evidence and restrict the use of evidence obtained by coercion.

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