President Bush said that he will veto a bill by Senators that would limit interrogation of military prisoners -- that is, prohibit torture -- but Bush said he would consider signing similar legislation if it provided for curbs on the interrogation of White House personnel.

Senior White House officials, among them Karl Rove, "Scooter" Libby, and Stephen Hadley were said to be very interested in making sure prisoners who recently worked in the White House would be treated humanely.

"We don't want to see them waterboarding Rove," said a high-ranking official who wished to remain anonymous because he feared his imminent indictment.

One of the reasons the White House gave for the legislation was that it sought to protect confidential information which the White House possesses. "We think that White House officials should be able to leak confidential information willingly," said the source.

"The only person in the White House who could stand up to torture is White House spokesperson Scott McClellan. We're convinced that no matter what anybody did to him, he would just spout the same evasionist nonsense that he doles out every day."