Detainee debate heats up in Senate

{mosads}There are also disputes between the White House and the panel over how to handle detainees
kept at Guantánamo Bay.

Initially, the Armed Services panel had mandated that Guantánamo
suspects could not be transferred from the facility indefinitely. The bill was
changed to restrict transfers to one year, but the Obama administration said that is still too burdensome.

The Defense bill passed out of committee unanimously earlier
this month, but two Senate committee chairmen, Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy
(D-Vt.) and Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), joined the Obama
administration in objecting to the detainee provisions.

Levin and McCain, meanwhile, are pushing to keep public support
on their side, penning an op-ed in The Washington Post Monday titled “A
Balanced Approach to Detainees.”

“We hope our colleagues, President Obama and his advisers will recognize the substantial work we have done to accommodate their concerns and work with us to pass a bill that honors our values and protects our nation,” they wrote. 

There are currently more than 200 amendments to the Defense bill, many
of which seek to change or remove the detainee provisions in the bill.