VOA常速英语2008年-US Senate Vote Bans CIA from Waterboarding

By Deborah Tate
Washington
13 February 2008

The U.S. Senate has defied a veto threat from President Bush and approved legislation that would prohibit intelligence agencies from using extreme interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. The measure was included in a bill to authorize¹ intelligence programs and spending for the current budget year. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

Two months after the House of Representatives approved the bill, the Senate followed suit - voting 51 to 45.

Supporters praised the provision that would bar intelligence agencies from using interrogation techniques not authorized² by the U.S. Army Field Manual, which include waterboarding - a procedure that induces the feeling of drowning, and other coercive measures.

Supporters argued that such techniques amount to torture, and banning their use would help restore America's moral standing³ in the world in the aftermath of reports of abuse of detainees at the hands of U.S. interrogators.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat⁴, sponsored the provision. "It signals to me that change is really in the air, that for the first time in the Senate and the House have essentially⁵ said that there will be a uniform standard of interrogation of detainees all across the government. So torture is out," she said.

Senator Jay Rockerfeller, a West Virginia Democrat and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said extreme interrogation techniques do not always work. "Coercive techniques can produce information that is fabricated and ultimately lead to flawed and misleading intelligence reports," he said.

But Republican opponents said Congress should not be interfering⁶ with intelligence agencies' rules of interrogations, which they described as lawful⁷ and effective.

"This is a bad bill, because what it would do, according to the Director of National Intelligence, is to shut down the most effective interrogation program that the CIA has to use to induce cooperation from those leaders of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations," said Senator Christopher Bond of Missouri, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Still, a number of Republicans were reluctant to oppose the bill and cast a vote that could be interpreted as supporting torture - and they left it to President Bush to make good on his veto threat.

The provision had not been part of the original intelligence authorization⁸ bill approved by the House and Senate. It was included during negotiations⁹ to reconcile differences in the two versions of the bill.

CIA Director Michael Hayden recently confirmed that waterboarding had been used on three terrorism suspects five years ago. Although the CIA banned the technique in 2006, the Bush administration has said interrogators might be able to use it again, but only if authorized by the president.

1 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

2 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

7 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

8 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。