Congressional Record—House H5969
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July 19, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5969 $150 billion in a country that has more Pakistan is a key ally. We have made ministration’s recent public state- to do with errors in judgment than them a non-European NATO ally. Is ments on terror. It also symbolizes the threats of terrorism against the United that good for Pakistan and the United lack of a coherent terrorism policy. States. States? If so, why? Is it a good thing Today the administration basically The patchwork of actions and reac- for relationships between India and says just trust us. Just trust us. Amer- tions about terrorism are long on rhet- Pakistan and the United States? If it ica’s response should be mine from the oric but stop well short of defining po- is, does this mean that the world is so Reagan administration, ‘‘Just Say tential threats and responses or a phi- interconnected that the notion of No.’’ We did trust, and that is how we losophy to guide America. Questions friend or enemy no longer applies? got into Iraq. The safety and security need to be asked and answered, and After all, we remember the television of America is everyone’s business. It that is why what the gentleman from networks have shown pictures of De- should be debated in this House before Missouri (Mr. SKELTON) is doing to- fense Secretary Rumsfeld bringing the People’s Body. Every district, night is so important. greetings to Saddam Hussein, not that every person in this country is rep- The acting director of the CIA admits many years ago, in the administration resented on this floor. It should not be that a good case can be made for a new of Bush I. He was a bad guy then, but decided by one man. I think the aver- Cabinet-level Secretary to oversee all Mr. Bush liked him, and I guess that age American knows that and knows of the Nation’s intelligence agencies, was good enough for those days. what the administration has given us but the director thinks some changes b 2230 so far is not a policy but wishful think- in the CIA could accomplish just as ing. much. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago he became a Mr. Speaker, the President has 105 Now, in Washington, D.C., turf issues bad guy. We did not like him any more, days to articulate the terror policy, are big issues. Are the remarks by the and we all know what happened then. what he is really trying to do. If he acting director turf or analysis? When What is the distinction between Sad- does not do that, we are going to have it comes to terrorism, the old ways of dam Hussein in Bush I and in Bush II? a new President. Washington, turf among them, must He just gassed people in his own coun- Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman change. try in Bush I. America needs a better from Missouri (Mr. SKELTON) for yield- The President took America to war definition of policy than just expedi- ing me this time. in Iraq over alleged ties to terrorism, ency. American policy today is ground- Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank now proven incorrect. We learned just ed in reaction, not philosophy. the gentleman for his comments. Let today that eight of the 9/11 hijackers There has been enough time since the me close by saying at the end of the passed back and forth through Iran be- tragedy of 9/11 for the President to ar- day we all need to pay tribute to those fore the attacks. We learned the Ira- ticulate a terrorism policy for the Na- wonderful, wonderful young men and nian government instructed border tion to debate, adopt and defend. All of young women in uniform, whether they guards to let all al Qaeda pass. The CIA us gave him some slack right after 9/11. come from Missouri, Washington, Ohio, says there is no evidence of an official Who would not want our President to New York, Florida, or all across our connection, but there is tacit approval, have the power to deal with what he country. They are professionals. They at a minimum. The same could have needed to deal with at the moment, but know what their duty is, and we cer- been said before Iraq, but that did not that is a long time ago. tainly wish to salute them this evening stop the President from going to war. We see nothing. We do not have a pol- as well as the families that support What does this new information icy, and the headlines can prove it. We them and wish well for them and of mean about Iran? The President says have a military stretched so thin that course pray for them. the President launched an undeclared he launched a preemptive war in Iraq. f Well, will the President launch a post- draft to compel soldiers to return to emptive war against Iran? Iraq had no active military duty. If officers did not 9/11 WAS NOT PREDESTINED weapons of mass destruction. Iran is resign their commission, the service The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. openly developing a nuclear capacity, can reach back 20 years to bring them HENSARLING). Under the Speaker’s an- claimed peaceful at this point, but out- in. nounced policy of January 7, 2003, the side the scope of objective knowledge The New England Journal of Medi- gentleman from California (Mr. ROHR- and data. Is Iran next for U.S. military cine just carried a study that 1 out of ABACHER) is recognized for half the action? Why? Why not? 5 people coming home is subject to psy- time before midnight, approximately 43 Given Iraq, would Congress write this chological problems, post-traumatic minutes. President another blank check for any- stress disorder, depression, and other Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, where else in the world? What about problems. We are suffering casualties. let me thank the gentleman from Mis- North Korea? There is a regime that is If we think out of 160,000 people, 1 out souri (Mr. SKELTON) who has always as oppressive as Saddam’s. There is a of 5 coming home, that is 30,000 people, had the respect of his colleagues. I country that bought weapons tech- never mind all of the people who have know that the gentleman is very seri- nology from our old friend or our new lost an arm or leg. Now we have psy- ous and sincere about the national se- friend and our old nemesis Libya. chological problems coming home as curity of the United States. I appre- There is a country where weapons are well. ciate him trying to put forth some cre- almost certainly not theoretical. Are Does America need a draft? The ad- ative and positive alternatives to the we going into North Korea anytime ministration says no, or not until at current policies he may or may not soon? We are pulling our troops back in least after the election. They say this agree with in terms of the war on ter- South Korea from the border. We are ‘‘no’’ just after they have issued stop- rorism. thinking about moving some of them loss orders to prevent soldiers from There are positive opponents to the to Iraq. What does that mean? leaving active duty in Iraq. We have an President and there are negative oppo- Today, Libya must be in line for, and indefinite military commitment in nents to the President. There are peo- I am not kidding about it, a football Iraq. But why, if we supposedly handed ple who offer alternatives, and there game. Mr. Qaddafi may have isolated the country over to the Iraqis? are people who do nothing but under- himself economically for years, but he America lives in perpetual terrorism- mine the President’s policy; but there could still watch television. So, today, alert status. Is there nothing to be are also those who have legitimate Qaddafi is trying to buy a British gained other than a CYA for this pol- complaints and alternatives to offer, sports club, hoping that the English icy? Who decided that we should be and I thank the gentleman from Mis- version of football will thaw the icy re- told to be very worried just after souri (Mr. SKELTON) for always trying lations. America was told not to worry any to provide the alternative. Then there is Pakistan. They were more that we were already worried? Let me note, after hearing our last not at the top of our list until we need- They are moving the fear back and colleague who spoke, Saddam Hussein ed a friendly Nation in the Middle East forth and keeping the American people had a blood grudge against the people after the September 11 attacks. Now, on edge, and that summarizes the ad- of the United States of America. He VerDate jul 14 2003 03:07 Jul 20, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K19JY7.105 H19PT1 H5970 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 19, 2004 wanted to hurt us and would have hurt During the war with the Soviet occu- Contrary to leftist cliche, and this is us had he been given a chance. It is a pation, I hiked into Afghanistan with a what is important, contrary to leftist good thing that Saddam Hussein was small mujajadin infantry unit. On our cliche, the roots of the current ter- removed from power.