Senate OKs torture ban bill

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to ban CIA use of harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, against terrorism suspects.

The vote was 51-45 in favor of the bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives in December by a vote of 222-199.

In Wednesday's vote, Republicans -- including John McCain of Arizona -- generally opposed the bill, The New York Times reported. However, some Republicans voted with Democrats, apparently to avoid casting a vote that could expose them to charges of supporting torture, the newspaper said.

Republicans are counting on President George Bush to veto the legislation, the report said. The White House has said Bush will veto the measure because it "would prevent the president from taking the lawful actions necessary to protect Americans from attack in wartime."

The measure, part of an intelligence authorization bill, would limit U.S. interrogators to techniques sanctioned by the Army Field Manual.