By Charles Hoskinson

WITH THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL PASSED IN THE SENATE, the focus turns now toward the conference with the House to craft a final version. Senators voted 93-7 to pass the bill after turning away another effort to change contentious provisions regarding the handling of detainees.

SASC CHAIRMAN LEVIN HAS DEFENDED THE PROVISIONS he crafted with McCain, the panel’s ranking Republican, becoming a thorn in the side of the White House, which has threatened a veto of the bill over them. POLITICO’s Manu Raju breaks it down here: http://politi.co/vg2gjF

DON’T LOOK FOR THOSE PROVISIONS TO BE WEAKENED in conference. If anything, House members might insist on at least some of the much tougher language in the bill they passed in May. But the Senate floor fight over the issue has set the bar for what’s possible in a final bill, and conferees will have to recognize that.

OUR PREDICTION – The Senate language on detainees will be in the final bill and Obama might grumble, but he’ll sign it.

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