Pres Bush explains veto of waterboarding bill

Pres Bush explains veto of waterboarding bill

President Bush said Saturday he vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods such as to break suspected terrorists because it would end practices that have prevented attacks.


The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror," Bush said in his weekly radio address taped for broadcast Saturday. "So today I vetoed it," Bush said. The bill provides guidelines for intelligence activities for the year and includes the interrogation requirement. It passed the House in December and the Senate last month.

"This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe," the president said.

JENNIFER, AP