Resign, Mr. President

On July 21, you threatened to veto the defense spending bill if it contained amendments proposed by Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and John Warner regarding the detention centers at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and other locations. The amendments would enact regulations for the treatment of detainees at these camps, as well as authorize a commission to investigate the operations of locations where allegations of abuse have been made public.

Your claim that these amendments would "interfere with the protection of Americans from terrorism" would be laughable if your veto threat wasn't so reprehensible. What happened at Abu Ghraib was the blackest day for our military since My Lai. You owe it to this nation and to the world to ensure that there isn't a next time for such behavior.

Not allowing the regulations or the commission to pass would put us in serious noncompliance with our obligations under the Geneva Conventions. The mere fact you would even consider setting your face against these measures makes you morally unfit for office.

We, the undersigned, call for you and Vice President Cheney to resign from office. We cannot afford to have an administration that is so grossly derelict of our nation's obligations as a civilized country.