"Transfer of sovereignty," you say?

When did that happen?

The BBC for Sunday says that

United States intelligence officers have taken detainees out of Iraq for interrogation, according to The Washington Post.

At the request of the CIA, the Justice Department allegedly compiled a secret memo allowing transfer of a dozen detainees over the last six months. ...

Law specialists say the memo "amounts to a reinterpretation of one of the most basic rights of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which protects civilians during wartime and occupation", the Washington Post says.

The treaty prohibits the "individual or mass forcible transfers", the newspaper notes. ...

The Washington Post said the CIA and Justice Department declined to comment for the article.

I'll just bet.

Footnote: There's something that I have to admit has been confusing me for a while.

"These conventions and these rules are in place for a reason, because you get on a slippery slope and you don't know where to get off," said Senator John McCain, who has campaigned for George W Bush, in an interview with ABC television.

"The thing that separates us from the enemy is our respect for human rights."

McCain seems to be criticizing some White House policy or another almost every other day. I can conceive of how as a loyal party member McCain would feel obliged to support Bush's re-election, but why is he actively campaigning for him?