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Congressional Record—House H3755 June 3, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3755 worldwide military operations. It may us to greater danger from more deter- cluded Richard N. Perle, the former chair- seem possible now because we have mined enemies. man of a Pentagon advisory group, and R. been afforded the historically unique A policy of nonintervention and stra- James Woolsey, director of central intel- ligence under President Bill Clinton. privilege of printing the world’s reserve tegic independence is the course we Members of the group, who had requested currency. should take if we are serious about the meeting, told Ms. Rice that they were in- Foreigners so far have been only too peace and prosperity. Liberty works. censed at what they view as the vilification willing to take our depreciating dollars of Mr. Chalabi, a favorite of conservatives f for their goods. Economic law eventu- who is now central to an F.B.I. investigation The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a ally will limit our ability to live off into who in the American government might previous order of the House, the gen- others by credit creation; and trust in have given him highly classified information tleman from Oregon (Mr. DEFAZIO) is the dollar will be diminished, if not de- that he is suspected of turning over to Iran. recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. Chalabi has denied that he provided stroyed. Those who hold these trillion- (Mr. DEFAZIO addressed the House. Iran with any classified information. plus dollars can hold us hostage if it The session with Ms. Rice was one sign of His remarks will appear hereafter in ever becomes in their interest. It may the turmoil that Mr. Chalabi’s travails have the Extensions of Remarks.) be that economic law and the hostility produced within an influential corner of toward the United States will combine f Washington, where Mr. Chalabi is still seen as a potential leader of Iraq. to precipitate an emotionally charged EXCHANGE OF SPECIAL ORDER ‘‘There is a smear campaign under way, rejection of the dollar. TIME and it is being perpetrated by the C.I.A. and That is when the true wealth of the the D.I.A. and a gaggle of former intelligence country will become self-evident, and Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. officers who have succeeded in planting we will no longer be able to afford the Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to these stories, which are accepted with hardly extravagant expense of pursuing an take the gentleman from Oregon’s (Mr. any scrutiny,’’ Mr. Perle, a leading conserv- American empire. No nation has ever DEFAZIO) time. ative, said in an interview. Mr. Perle, referring to both the Central In- been able to finance excessive foreign The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gen- telligence Agency and the Defense Intel- entanglements and domestic entitle- ligence Agency, said the campaign against ments through printing-press money tleman from Massachusetts? Mr. Chalabi was ‘‘an outrageous abuse of and borrowing from abroad. There was no objection. power’’ by United States government offi- It is time we reconsider the advice of f cials in Washington and Baghdad. the Founding Fathers and the guide- ‘‘I’m talking about Jerry Bremer, for one,’’ lines of the Constitution, which coun- THE INCOMPETENCE MUST STOP Mr. Perle said, referring to L. Paul Bremer III, the top American administrator of the sels a foreign policy of nonintervention The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a Coalition Provisional Authority in charge of and strategic independence. Setting a previous order of the House, the gen- the occupation of Iraq. ‘‘I don’t know who good example is a far better way to tleman from Massachusetts (Mr. gave these orders, but there is no question spread American ideals than through FRANK) is recognized for 5 minutes. that the C.P.A. was involved.’’ force of arms. Trading with nations, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. In Baghdad, coalition authorities vigor- without interference by international Speaker, sadly I am here to talk about ously denied Mr. Perle’s assertion. ‘‘Jerry government regulators, is superior to Bremer didn’t initiate the investigation,’’ what we cannot ignore: the sad, sad Dan Senor, the spokesman for the Coalition sanctions and tariffs that too often chronicle of incompetence and blunder Provisional Authority, said in a telephone plant the seeds of war. which marks this administration’s con- interview. The principle of self-determination duct of national security policy. Similarly, Mark Mansfield, a C.I.A. spokes- should be permitted for all nations and I do not think in the history of the man, called Mr. Perle’s accusation that the all demographically defined groups. United States there has been a major agency was smearing Mr. Chalabi ‘‘absurd.’’ The world tolerated the breakup of the national security effort handled so A Defense Department official who asked not ruthless Soviet and Yugoslavian sys- to be named said that Mr. Perle’s accusa- badly. I voted against the war in Iraq. tions against the D.I.A. had no foundation. tems rather well, even as certain na- I voted for the war in Afghanistan, and Mr. Chalabi has been a divisive figure for tional and ethnic groups demanded I am glad I did. I voted against the war years in Washington, where top Pentagon of- self-determination and independence. in Iraq because I did not think it was ficials favored him as a future leader of Iraq This principle is the source of the so- justified, and I feel vindicated in that and top State Department officials dis- lution for Iraq. judgment; but even for those who trusted him as unreliable. Either way, Mr. Instead of the incessant chant about thought it was justified, I do not un- Chalabi and his exile group, the Iraqi Na- us forcing democracy on others, why tional Congress, fed intelligence to the Bush derstand how they can fail to join in administration about Iraq’s unconventional not read our history and see how 13 na- the criticism of the shambles this ad- tions joined together to form a loose- weapons that helped drive the administra- ministration has made of the policy. tion toward war. knit republic with emphasis on local I will insert in the RECORD here, Mr. Intelligence officials now argue that some self-government. Part of the problem Speaker, an article by Elisabeth of the intelligence was fabricated, and that with our effort to reorder Iraq is that Bumiller from the May 29 New York Mr. Chalabi’s motives were to push the the best solution is something we have Times, and the headline is ‘‘Conserv- United States into toppling Saddam Hussein and pave the way for his installation as essentially rejected here in the United ative Allies Take Chalabi Case to the States. It would make a lot more sense Iraqi’s new leader. White House.’’ Although Mr. Chalabi’s supporters outside to concentrate on rebuilding our Re- [From the New York Times, May 29, 2004] the administration have been caustic in public, emphasizing the principles of CONSERVATIVE ALLIES TAKE CHALABI CASE TO their comments about his treatment, there private property, free markets, trade THE WHITE HOUSE has been relative silence so far from Mr. and personal liberty here at home rath- Chalabi’s supporters within the administra- (By Elisabeth Bumiller) er than pursuing war abroad. If this tion. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. were done, we would not be a mili- WASHINGTON, May 28—Influential out- Wolfowitz, who favored going to war in Iraq side advisers to the Bush administration who and was a patron of Mr. Chalabi, did not re- taristic state spending ourselves into support the Iraqi exile leader Ahmad Chalabi bankruptcy, and government benefits spond to numerous requests this week for an are pressing the White House to stop what interview. to the untold thousands of corpora- one has called a ‘‘smear campaign,’’ against Mr. Wolfowitz’s spokesman, Charley Coo- tions and special interests would be de- Mr. Chalabi, whose Baghdad home and of- per, said in an e-mail message that Mr. nied. fices were ransacked last week in an Amer- Wolfowitz believed that Mr. Chalabi and the True defense is diminished when ican-supported raid. Iraqi National Congress ‘‘have provided valu- money and energy are consumed by ac- Last Saturday, several of these Chalabi able operational intelligence to our military tivities outside the scope of specifi- supporters said, a small delegation of them forces in Iraq, which has helped save Amer- cally protecting our national interests. marched into the West Wing office of ican lives.’’ Mr. Cooper added in the message Condoleezza Rice, the national security ad- Diverting resources away from defense that ‘‘Secretary Wolfowitz hopes that the viser, to complain about the administra- events of the last few weeks haven’t under- and the protection of our borders, tion’s abrupt change of heart about Mr. mined that.’’ while antagonizing so many around the Chalabi and to register their concerns about The current views of Vice President Dick world, would actually serve to expose the course of the war in Iraq. The group in- Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, VerDate May 21 2004 02:34 Jun 04, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K03JN7.081 H03PT1.
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