Even GOPers think El Presidente has gone loco

In this day of loyalty to party over country, constituency, and common sense, this shows just how far around the bend Bush has wandered. From the Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON -- Three key Republican senators yesterday condemned President Bush's assertion that his powers as commander in chief give him the authority to bypass a new law restricting the use of torture when interrogating detainees.

John W. Warner Jr., a Virginia Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, issued a joint statement rejecting Bush's assertion that he can waive the restrictions on the use of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment against detainees to protect national security.

''We believe the president understands Congress's intent in passing, by very large majorities, legislation governing the treatment of detainees," the senators said. ''The Congress declined when asked by administration officials to include a presidential waiver of the restrictions included in our legislation. Our committee intends through strict oversight to monitor the administration's implementation of the new law."

Separately, the third primary sponsor of the detainee treatment law, Senator Lindsey O. Graham, Republican of South Carolina, told the Globe in a phone interview that he agreed with everything McCain and Warner said ''and would go a little bit further."

''I do not believe that any political figure in the country has the ability to set aside any . . . law of armed conflict that we have adopted or treaties that we have ratified," Graham said. ''If we go down that road, it will cause great problems for our troops in future conflicts because [nothing] is to prevent other nations' leaders from doing the same."

I'm really not sure which is the sadder commentary on our leaders: that it takes Bush essentially nullifying Congress for people to stop carrying water for him, or the fact that the culture of the GOP is so decayed that it's surprising they did so, even then. It's reminiscient of when the Rev. Frist broke from El Jefe's customary anti-science agenda and came out in support of stem cell research. His role as Executive lap dog is so all-consuming, that it made a doctor recognizing the obvious benefits of stem cell research a stunning development.