[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9635-S9636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                U.S. INTELLIGENCE RESPONSE TO TERRORISM

 Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, when I took to the floor to discuss 
the bombing at Khobar Towers several weeks ago I stated someone is 
making war on us. I would like to reiterate that point.
  We are in active conflict, Mr. President, and this is not the time 
for politicians safe behind secure barriers to publicly snipe at the 
way our Government is fighting this battle. Yet I note the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives is accusing the administration of having 
undermined and crippled one of our principal weapons against terrorism, 
the human intelligence capabilities of the Central Intelligence Agency.
  This charge is baseless, Mr. President. In fact, the greatest build-
up of our human intelligence capability occurred under the bipartisan 
leadership

[[Page S9636]]

of Senators Boren and Cohen several Congresses ago. They understood 
that growing stronger in human intelligence is a long-term enterprise. 
It involves the recruitment and development of people over many years, 
and it is one of the activities of government which are not much 
affected by sudden infusions of money.
  The Speaker's inference that the Clinton administration has allowed 
the nation's intelligence capabilities to deteriorate is not supported 
by the facts. He has clearance, as does every Member, to examine the 
budget numbers and see that the Clinton administration has requested, 
and Congress has generally supported, a very robust intelligence 
capability for the United States.
  Mr. President, the Speaker's comments are an effort to draw short-
term political advantage out of some of the painful events in a long-
term conflict.
  I would suggest another approach: To take a long view of why we 
Americans are vulnerable to attack, why this war is being waged, and to 
examine whether our adversaries are having much effect.
  We are likely terrorist targets for at least four reasons.
  First, more than any other country, we are uniquely present in the 
world. We are the only superpower, our military is by far the most 
deployed military on earth, and our businesses are also present 
everywhere. I trust the Speaker is pleased with America's forward 
presence; I certainly am. It is both a sign of, and an essential 
component of, our power.
  Second, we are a country that takes strong positions in foreign 
policy matters. Strong positions buy you enemies, and some of those 
enemies are terrorists. We stand up for Israel, the only democracy in 
its area. That buys us enemies. We are publicly allied with Turkey, 
another embattled democracy in a tough neighborhood. That, Mr. 
President, buys us more enemies. We are leading the global fight 
against international narcotics trafficking, and some violent people 
take umbrage at that. We should be proud of these strong policy 
positions. I am.
  Third, we are the most open society in the world, which is a main 
reason it is such a delight to live in this country. I do not advocate 
changing our openness--but it does make us more vulnerable to 
terrorism.
  Fourth, we are the world's greatest capitalist nation. We represent 
the power to make life better by improving your material circumstances, 
and by enjoying the wealth you produce by your own labor. To many 
fundamentalists--not all of them Moslem--that makes us the ``great 
Satan.'' Still, I trust no politician would want to change this element 
of our character, even though it does buy us enemies.
  Mr. President, despite this vulnerability, I submit we Americans are 
still safer from terrorism than any other people on earth. When it 
comes to terrorism and political violence, I challenge anyone to name a 
safer country. As for Americans abroad, I do not constitute that our 
people overseas are in any greater risk from terrorism than they have 
ever been in peacetime in our history. Why this anomaly, when we see 
how uniquely vulnerable we are?
  One reason is our superb intelligence. It is present everywhere in 
the world, working closely with our allies to actively track terrorist 
organizations and individuals far from atrophying under the Clinton 
administration, it is a potent instrument to keep Americans safe.
  Rather than fear of failure, we should recognize we are living in a 
period of successful action against terrorism. We should praise the 
Americans involved in this shadowy struggle and support them, and 
continue to give them what they need. Saying they are crippled is 
neither constructive nor accurate, although it may give false comfort 
to our enemies.

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