Reject torture

The United States should lead the way in the area of human rights. That means humane treatment of prisoners and avoiding the use of torture in interrogations of suspected terrorists.

Congress is right to oppose the use of waterboarding and other coercive interrogation techniques to obtain information from alleged terrorists. The House and Senate have passed a bill that would limit the CIA to 19 interrogation methods used by the U.S. military.

President Bush has vetoed the bill because he believes the CIA should have a separate interrogation policy from the military — one that will make terrorists talk when they know of plots against the United States.

"Were it not for this program, our intelligence community believes that al-Qaida and its allies would have succeeded in launching another attack against the American homeland," the president said Saturday in explaining his veto.

Other leaders argue that the United States must show moral leadership by renouncing torture of all kinds. Waterboarding, or simulated drowning, can be traced back to the Spanish Inquisition. It is torture. Nations and human rights groups around the world condemn it.

Although the CIA says it has prohibited waterboarding, the method can be used if approved by the attorney general and president. Mr. Bush wants to retain that option.

There are questions about the effectiveness of coercive interrogation. But there is no doubt that such methods will weaken U.S. human rights efforts and place Americans in greater harm if they are captured abroad.

Congress may not have the votes to override President Bush's veto. But the members are correct in taking a principled stand for human rights.