I think it’s so funny that the press is calling the McCain trio, “rebels”

The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced agreement Thursday on rules for the interrogation and trial of suspects in the war on terror. President Bush urged Congress to put it into law before adjourning for the midterm elections.
“I’m pleased to say that this agreement preserves the single most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks,” the president said, shortly after administration officials and key lawmakers announced agreement following a week of high-profile intraparty disagreement.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, one of three GOP lawmakers who told Bush he couldn’t have the legislation the way he initially asked for it, said, “The agreement that we’ve entered into gives the president the tools he needs to continue to fight the war on terror and bring these evil people to justice.”
“There’s no doubt that the integrity and letter and spirit of the Geneva Conventions have been preserved,” McCain said, referring to international agreements that cover the treatment of prisoners in wartime.

Was it a good deal? The CIA director seems to think so:

The CIA director, General Michael Hayden, praised the deal reached in Congress today that, in effect, would permit CIA interrogators to use harsh techniques critics call torture[BTW, this is just nuts, why say, “critics call torture”].
“If this languages becomes law, the Congress will have given us the clarity and the support that we need,” Gen. Hayden said in a message to employees late this afternoon.
CIA officials said it was impossible to proceed with the agency’s harsh interrogation techniques without a law that made it clear CIA officers would not one day face prosecution.
[…]
Today’s congressional deal, if signed into law, would allow the CIA to continue the six techniques and to continue to run secret prisons overseas for select terror suspects.
Gen. Hayden said the measure “allows us to continue to defend the homeland, attack Al Qa’ida and protect American and Allied lives.”

It appears that the “rebels” caved. And it’s no wonder, McCain saw the political writing on the wall this weekend in New Hampshire:

Senator John McCain, who is battling with the White House over the interrogation and trial of terrorism suspects, on Sunday flew to New Hampshire – and right into a blistering editorial from the conservative Manchester Union-Leader that assailed him for standing up to President Bush on the issue.
[…]
One of them, Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, said in an interview that he disagreed with Mr. McCain, and offered a forceful endorsement of Mr. Bush.
“I am foursquare behind the president on this,” Mr. Romney said. “I believe that we should do everything possible to support those people at the front line who are responsible for enforcing the war on terrorism.”
Mr. McCain said Sunday that he was acting out of conscience, not political calculation, to reinforce an image of independence that has been questioned in recent months as he has supported Mr. Bush on issues like the war in Iraq. Still, he said his office had been deluged with critical phone calls, and that he had picked up enough buzz from conservative radio talk stations to conclude that he might have once again rattled his support among conservatives.

What support among conservatives? If he thinks he has support, he’s in for a rude awakening come presidential primary season. As much as McCain said that he didn’t care if he lost the presidency over this, it appears that it was all just political doublespeak.
BTW, good going Mitt Romney, outflank him on the conservative side, that’s how Bush beat him in 2000.