Updates at Bottom.
I apologize for the brevity of this diary but not much more has been reported on this yet.
The good folks over at Blue Jersey are reporting, Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) will introduce a bill tomorrow on the Senate floor banning torture.
It seems Sen. Menendez is seeking to make amends for his vote on the Military Commissions Act, which effectively eliminated habeas corpus and legalized torture for "enemy combatants."
According to an announcement from the campaign, Menendez and Sen. Chris Dodd will introduce legislation to correct the controversial measure included in the MCA. Menendez referred to the bill as the...
"... flawed Military Commissions Act"
The announcement from Menendez’s campaign:
WASHINGTON - TOMORROW, Tuesday, February 12, 2007, U.S. Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) will hold a press conference to discuss the Effective Terrorists Prosecution Act which will restore habeas corpus rights, ban torture and uphold the Geneva Conventions. The senators, both members of the Foreign Relations Committee, will discuss the need for these protections in the fight against terrorism.
He's not only admitting his mistake, he's trying to fix it. That's a rare quality in politics.
One update from the campaign so far:
Lautenberg voted for the Military Commissions Act to give Menendez cover, so I would assume he would also support this bill.
Update 2 from Blue Jersey:
It's been pointed out to me that at the time, Menendez issued a statement indicating he would revisit this issue and fix the flawed legislation:
I look forward to returning to the Senate with a Democratic majority to make necessary improvements to this legislation to protect the civil liberties of all Americans.
Update 3
To clarify, Chris Dodd is the sponsor of this bill and Menendez is a co-sponsor. I'm told the legislation will actually be called "Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007". More information at Restore-Habeas.org.
Update 4
Update 4: Senators Feingold and Leahy are also co-sponsors. The full title of the bill is: "The Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 -- A Bill to Provide for the Effective Prosecution of Terrorists and to Guarantee Due Process Rights.