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McCain Says Abducted and Grilled By Cheney; Won't Budge On Torture Ban

Held For Two-Days In Secret Bunker; Hadley Defends 'Discussion", Saying Part of New National Victory Strategy

Only hours before his appearance with Tim Russert, on NBC's "Meet The Press", Senator John McCain was released from Vice President Dick Cheney's Secret Bunker, after what McCain says was "two-days of being grilled" over McCain's efforts to ban the U.S. Military from torturing detainees.

The Arizona Republican, himself a victim of torture from when he was a prisoner-of-war during the Vietnam conflict, said that he "was held against my will" and "harshly interrogated and threatened' by the Vice Presidents and "at least three other people".

McCain says that it was suggested that he could be shipped to one of the CIA-run "Black Holes" if he didn't change his position and take the torture ban language out of pending legislation.

McCain has declined and refused to back away from the banning of torture.

McCain (R-AZ) has a pending amendment in the Senate that would ban torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners that Vice President Cheney opposes and has sought and lobbied for an exemption for the CIA and their covert "black holes".

McCain says he was invited by the Vice President to the Secret Bunker on Thursday evening, for dinner and "to talk". Upon his arrival, McCain says he was "drugged" with a pre-dinner cocktail and handcuffed to a chair. There, the grilling began, with Cheney and others verbally badgering McCain to "take out the torture ban".

McCain believes he "passed out" during the second day and only remembers being dropped off in front of the studio for his "Meet The Press" appearance.

While host Tim Russert made no mention of how McCain looked, blogger Arianna Huffington did, noting in her weekly "Russert Watch" column that "the marquee guest was John McCain. Or, should I say, "John McCain." The guy who showed up on Meet the Press this morning looked like McCain, but didn't sound like McCain …"

Stephen Hadley, Assistant to the President For National Security Affairs, was on ABC's "This Week," yesterday morning and defended President Bush's assertion that the United States does not torture detainees and follows international conventions on the treatment of prisoners.

When reached for comment on the McCain charges, Hadley did confirm a "dinner" that he attended on Thursday with McCain and the Vice President.

"It was a dinner and post-dinner discussion", offered Hadley. "Both Senator McCain and the Vice President have strong beliefs on this subject and it was a spirited talk at times. As to hold the Senator against his will, I can't say I witnessed that.

Hadley added that "if McCain was held and grilled" that it would likely be "part of the new National Strategy For Victory In Iraq" and "completely justified".

"Then again, as I can recount", said Hadley. "It was merely a dinner and a hearty, at time, fierce, debate by two great U.S. patriots".

Hadley also pointed out to the favorable coverage by the Iraqi media as to the "intelligence-gathering techniques" employed by the CIA and U.S. Military.












The White House announced today, that in order to reach a younger audience with the new "National Strategy For Victory In Iraq", President Bush recorded "a really def rap" version of it, that will run on MTV, VH! and other youth-oriented television programs