Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 153 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007 No. 189 Senate The Senate met at 10 a.m. and was righteous are in authority the people lic for which it stands, one nation under God, called to order by the Honorable SHEL- rejoice. But when the wicked rule, the indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. DON WHITEHOUSE, a Senator from the people groan.’’ Help our Senators also f State of Rhode Island. to remember Your wisdom in Proverbs 29:7, ‘‘a righteous person knows the APPOINTMENT OF ACTING PRAYER rights of the poor; a wicked person does PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- not understand such knowledge.’’ The PRESIDING OFFICER. The fered the following prayer: May the business done in this place clerk will please read a communication Let us pray. conform to Your justice and equity. We to the Senate from the President pro Almighty God, you are our fortress. ask this in Your Name and for Your tempore (Mr. BYRD). You know everything we do and desire glory. Amen. justice and humility. You have or- The assistant legislative clerk read dained human government for the good f the following letter: of humanity. U.S. SENATE, Guide our Senators by the wisdom of PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, Washington, DC, December 11, 2007. Your Word. Deliver them from the The Honorable SHELDON WHITEHOUSE To the Senate: pride that leads to shame as they make led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, obeying You their top priority. Remind I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby them of Proverbs 29:2, that ‘‘when the United States of America, and to the Repub- appoint the Honorable SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, NOTICE If the 110th Congress, 1st Session, adjourns sine die on or before December 21, 2007, a final issue of the Congres- sional Record for the 110th Congress, 1st Session, will be published on Friday, December 28, 2007, in order to permit Members to revise and extend their remarks. All material for insertion must be signed by the Member and delivered to the respective offices of the Official Reporters of Debates (Room HT–60 or S–123 of the Capitol), Monday through Friday, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. through Thursday, December 27. The final issue will be dated Friday, December 28, 2007, and will be delivered on Wednesday, January 2, 2008. None of the material printed in the final issue of the Congressional Record may contain subject matter, or relate to any event that occurred after the sine die date. Senators’ statements should also be formatted according to the instructions at http://webster/secretary/conglrecord.pdf, and submitted electronically, either on a disk to accompany the signed statement, or by e-mail to the Official Reporters of Debates at ‘‘[email protected]’’. Members of the House of Representatives’ statements may also be submitted electronically by e-mail, to accompany the signed statement, and formatted according to the instructions for the Extensions of Remarks template at http:// clerk.house.gov/forms. The Official Reporters will transmit to GPO the template formatted electronic file only after receipt of, and authentication with, the hard copy, and signed manuscript. Deliver statements to the Official Reporters in Room HT–60. Members of Congress desiring to purchase reprints of material submitted for inclusion in the Congressional Record may do so by contacting the Office of Congressional Publishing Services, at the Government Printing Office, on 512–0224, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. daily. By order of the Joint Committee on Printing. ROBERT A. BRADY, Chairman. ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S15083 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 21:50 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2007SENATE\S11DE7.REC S11DE7 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY S15084 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 11, 2007 a Senator from the State of Rhode Island, to this instance. While in some others it constitutional tools, and pass legisla- perform the duties of the Chair. could not be done, I think in this in- tion that will fund this Government. ROBERT C. BYRD, stance there is a way we can have a We know we are going to have to do a President pro tempore. real conference. I hope that is the case. very short CR, continuing resolution, Mr. WHITEHOUSE thereupon as- Under an order entered last night, to keep the Government open. Hope- sumed the chair as Acting President the Senate will debate the Lugar-Lau- fully that will be for a matter of days pro tempore. tenberg amendment for 3 hours. The and certainly not multiple weeks. f vote in relation to that will occur I look forward to some bipartisan sometime after the Senate returns progress. I hope that can be done. RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY from the caucus recess period today. f LEADER That will be the first vote today. There DESTRUCTION OF CIA TORTURE The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- could be other votes this afternoon. I TAPES pore. The majority leader is recog- will talk to the Republican leader nized. about that. If we cannot schedule more Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wish to speak this morning about another issue f votes this afternoon, we will schedule a load of them in the morning. that concerns not just Democrats but MEASURES PLACED ON THE A lot of work remains to be done. members of both parties and our entire CALENDAR—S. 2436, S. 2440, S. 2441 Members can expect long days as we country. It is often said that a man has Mr. REID. Mr. President, there are continue to work toward Christmas, nothing but his reputation, his honor, three bills at the desk due for a second which is 2 weeks from today. and his integrity. I believe that to be reading en bloc. The Senate will recess for the caucus the case. This is true not just for men The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- lunch period from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. but for countries. pore. The clerk will read the bills by During the next 10 days, we have a In a thousand years, in a hundred title for the second time en bloc. lot of work to do. As I have indicated, years, when historians write the story The assistant legislative clerk read we are going to try to finish the farm of these early days of America, they as follows: bill. We are going to try to make a sig- will, of course, write about our great nificant effort to try to complete our cities, our military and, of course, our A bill (S. 2436) to amend the Internal Rev- economy. But the real story will be of enue Code of 1986 to clarify the term of the intelligence legislation. We have the Commissioner of Internal Revenue. AMT which is still pending. Although a young Nation, unique among its glob- A bill (S. 2440) to amend the Foreign Intel- we have passed it here, we understand al peers, because it has stood for lib- ligence Surveillance Act of 1978, to mod- the House is going to give us some- erty and justice, not just with words ernize and streamline the provisions of that thing dealing with that. We have to do but with deeds. The true measure of Act, and for other purposes. our work on that. America is our moral authority. Over A bill (S. 2441) to amend the Foreign Intel- We have energy legislation. We are the past 7 years, that authority has ligence Surveillance Act of 1978, to mod- trying to work through that, and we been significantly damaged: the war in ernize and streamline the provisions of that Iraq that did not have to be waged; a Act, and for other purposes. also have our spending. I have had a conversation with the Republican lead- CIA agent exposed to harm for telling Mr. REID. Mr. President, I object to er this morning on that, and while the truth, Valerie Plame; a Justice De- any further proceedings with respect to things do not appear as hopeful as I partment in shambles with Attorney these bills. wish, I am kind of reminded of Presi- General Gonzales; the treatment of The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- dent Lincoln. If you go to the Lincoln prisoners held up to no standard except pore. Objection is heard. The bills will Memorial, you see on the wall the the daily whims of a few people, Abu be placed on the calendar. carved words of his second inaugural Ghraib, water torture. But now the f address, which is so prophetic and so word is that the CIA destroyed tapes strong, where he talks about both sides from some of these interrogations. It SCHEDULE are praying to the same God, praying has been acknowledged that the inter- Mr. REID. Mr. President, we will be for different results. rogations were by using water torture, in a period of morning business for 1 You know, I, of course, am confident something that originated in 1492 by hour, with the time equally divided as we are trying to do the right thing on Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in usual, with the Republicans controlling the farm bill, FISA, alternative min- the Inquisition.