Congress has hidden its face from the truth about how the United States treats foreign detainees for too long.

Finally, at the urging of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whose firsthand experience at the hand of torturers gives him a moral clarity on the issue, the U.S. Senate has adopted legislation that would prohibit the “cruel, inhuman and degrading” treatment of prisoners.

Passed as part of a $440 billion military spending bill that includes $50 billion to continue the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the bill would move the country closer to ending its indefensible conduct. The legislation would create clear, unambiguous rules for the treatment of prisoners. It would establish the Army Field Manual as the uniform standard for interrogation for people held by the Department of Defense and prohibit the abuse of persons held by the U.S. government.

Despite broad and bipartisan support in the Senate, the bill faces an uncertain future. The president has threatened to use his first veto on it, and leaders in the House of Representatives are expected to fight the inclusion of the anti-abuse rules. Too often during this current Congress, reasonable legislation from the Senate has been stripped of its intent during negotiations with the House. With pressure coming from the White House, we expect a full-scale assault on this issue, as well.

The measure has the support of scores of former military leaders, as well as former Secretary of State Colin Powell. They realize that the abuse of prisoners is not effective and does considerable damage to America’s reputation while increasing the risk posed to U.S. soldiers.

Make no mistake: The abuse we speak of goes far beyond humiliation and “fraternity pranks.” People have been murdered and raped, beaten and nearly drowned. The abuses have been documented by the International Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and the military itself. They are inexcusable.

It is McCain who, speaking on the Senate floor this week, explains it best: “I do hold a brief for the reputation of the United States of America. We are Americans, and we hold ourselves to humane standards of treatment of people no matter how evil or terrible they may be. To do otherwise undermines our security, but it also undermines our greatness as a nation. We are not simply any other country. We stand for something more in the world – a moral mission, one of freedom and democracy and human rights at home and abroad. We are better than these terrorists, and we will win. The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don’t deserve our sympathy. But this isn’t about who they are. This is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies.”

It would be a shameful act for the House or president to stop this legislation and further legitimize in law the murder and torture of prisoners held by the United States.