EDWARD M.KENNEDY

After months of Republican obstruction, the Senate will finally vote this afternoon on a provision that would end CIA torture once and for all. It is long past time that we apply the Army Field Manual's standards to all interrogations, leaving the Bush administration no doubt that torture is always and everywhere impermissible.
The Senate will soon vote on the Intelligence Authorization Bill, which contains a provision requiring all U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, to comply with the Army Field Manual's prohibition on torture. This reform is urgently needed, and I commend the Intelligence Conferees for adopting this provision. Its enactment will ensure that the government uses only interrogation techniques that are lawful.

In the Detainee Treatment Act passed in 2005, Congress attempted to reaffirm our commitment to the basic rights enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and restore America's standing in the eyes of...
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