US President George W. Bush on Saturday vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods such as waterboarding to break suspected terrorists. He said that if the bill were allowed, it would end practices that have prevented attacks.

“The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “So today I vetoed it.”

The bill provides guidelines for intelligence activities for the year and includes the interrogation requirement. It passed the House in December and the Senate last month. It would limit CIA interrogators to the 19 techniques allowed for use by military questioners. The Army field manual in 2006 banned using methods such as waterboarding or sensory deprivation on uncooperative prisoners.

Waterboarding is the most high-profile and contentious method of interrogation in question. It involves strapping a person down and pouring water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning. It has been traced back hundreds of years to the Spanish Inquisition and is condemned by rights groups as torture.

“This is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe,” the president said.

Supporters of the legislation say it would preserve the ability to collect critical intelligence and raise country’s moral standing abroad.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress would work to override Bush’s veto next week.

EMAIL THIS NEWS COMMENTS No comments yet