A US House of Representatives panel endorsed President Bush's plan for tough interrogations and trials of foreign terrorism suspects after Republicans rounded up enough members to turn defeat into victory.
Embarrassed Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee were forced to hold a second vote to pass Mr Bush's bill after losing the first one to Democrats and a couple of defecting Republicans.
They then mustered absent members to eke out a 20-19 majority to send the bill to the House floor.
On another national security issue before the November 7th congressional elections, the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, on separate votes, narrowly approved legislation to impose new rules on Mr Bush's warrantless domestic spying programme.
Both measures are certain to be hotly debated in the House and Senate before members go home in October to campaign for re-election.
Mr Bush wants the authority from Congress to allow a programme of CIA interrogations and detentions that critics have said amount to torture. The White House denies the programme involves torture. The US Supreme Court in June struck down Mr Bush's original plan.
The White House is trying to reach a compromise with a group of rebelling Senate Republicans over the bill, Without a deal, the measure faces almost certain defeat in the Senate. Democrats and a number of Republicans say it would allow abusive interrogations and unfair trials.