[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 5, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S4856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ABUSE OF IRAQI PRISONERS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, there is not an American today who woke up 
and did not hear the lead news story, a story which has, frankly, 
brought us to a position of embarrassment with the abuses that have 
been sadly documented and have been spread across the world relating to 
the treatment of Iraqi prisoners.
  The word is that the President of the United States is going to 
address the Arab nations through their own television network to talk 
about his disappointment, and I hope with an apology for what has 
occurred.
  But we have a responsibility on Capitol Hill. We have a 
responsibility in the Senate. I believe we should move, and move 
decisively, No. 1, to entertain and pass a resolution on this floor 
that makes it clear that what happened in that Iraqi prison is not what 
America is all about, and that those responsible for it--from those 
whose photographs were taken, all the way up the chain of command--need 
to be held accountable for their actions. Nothing less than that should 
be tolerated.
  Secondly, the Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld, should be appearing 
before a committee on Capitol Hill, on a timely basis, as quickly as 
possible, to explain exactly what happened. It is absolutely incredible 
that the Secretary of Defense had no knowledge of this event, nor of 
the investigation that followed.
  Finally, let me say this. Many of us believe what happened last week 
with the appearance of the Secretary of Defense on Capitol Hill was 
extremely troubling. Last Thursday, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld 
appeared in a classified briefing on Capitol Hill, telling the Senate 
membership the state of affairs in Iraq. It was the same day that this 
story was to be aired on ``60 Minutes II,'' the story relating to Iraqi 
prisoners.

  The fact is, the Secretary testified without even indicating to the 
Members of the Senate that this story existed or was about to be 
disclosed to the American people. That is unacceptable.
  The Secretary of Defense needs to return to Capitol Hill tomorrow to 
give another classified briefing to the Members of the Senate, to tell 
us exactly what transpired, why he did not disclose this to Members of 
the Senate, and why there is this veil of secrecy in this 
administration when it comes to one of the most troubling stories that 
has emerged since our invasion of Iraq.
  I have spoken to our Democratic leader, Tom Daschle. He has been in 
conversation and dialogue with Senator Frist, the Republican leader, 
and has an agreement that all three things that I have just outlined 
will occur: a resolution on the floor relative to the Iraqi prison 
scandal; secondly, an appearance by Secretary Rumsfeld in open hearing 
before a committee as soon as possible; and, third, a request that the 
Secretary come to Congress, on a classified basis, and meet with us 
tomorrow, before this week ends, before this Senate leaves, to explain 
to us what has happened in this terrible episode.
  Those who are responsible for this need to be held accountable--
whether they are the soldiers involved in it and right up the chain of 
command to the leadership that failed. If we do not do this, frankly, 
we are jeopardizing the security of this country and the safety of our 
men and women in uniform, who still continue to struggle in Iraq to 
find peace and stability in that country.
  We need to move now. We need to move decisively. We need to show the 
leadership on Capitol Hill which has failed to this point. The way to 
do it is through these three approaches.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, through the Chair to my friend from 
Illinois, I appreciate very much his statement. I am hopeful and 
confident that agreement on those strategies will be reached today. I 
am terribly disappointed, and not only in what we did not hear from the 
Secretary of Defense.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I think I have 6\1/2\ minutes. I yield a 
minute of my time to the Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there was more brass in 407 last Thursday 
than would make up a band, four stars all over the place, including the 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Not a single one of those people 
in the chain of command even breathed a word of the impending scandal 
that they knew about as they briefed us. It is a terrible situation 
when we meet in secret up in room 407 and something as scandalous as 
American troops killing--we now have confirmed two homicides--prisoners 
of war in addition to humiliating them through sexual pictures and 
doing other things that speak so poorly of our military that I am 
sickened to my stomach.
  Mr. President, we will take 1 minute from Senator Breaux.
  Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent for 1 additional minute through 
Senator Breaux's time.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. I agree completely with the Senator from Nevada. I have a 
feeling of embarrassment and also sadness, sadness for the thousands of 
men and women in uniform risking their lives today, serving us so nobly 
in Iraq, who are going to be swept into this vortex. We have to make 
certain the soldiers who are responsible for this as well as their 
leaders in command are brought out and held accountable so that our 
fine men and women who are fighting in the military in Iraq do not have 
to bear this burden. They are our best and brightest. We owe them the 
greatest respect. But let us be honest; what happened here is not 
typical of America, certainly not typical of our military. Unless we 
are forthright and open in accountability, it is going to sweep all of 
them into this veil of blame. That would be unfortunate.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from New York is 
recognized for 6 minutes.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I thank my colleagues from Nevada and Illinois for what 
they have said. The bottom line is, of course, very little could be 
more counterproductive to this war effort than what has happened. The 
best way to deal with it is to come clean and come clean quickly, to 
find out how often it happened, where it happened, how high up the 
chain of command, and exorcise it. Because to the overwhelming majority 
of our troops and our military leadership this is abhorrent. The sooner 
we can exorcise this cancer, the better off we will all be. Keeping 
this secret is not going to work. It is going to come out. It has come 
out. I join my colleagues. I hope we can get Secretary Rumsfeld to come 
back before us very quickly and give us a full and complete briefing on 
what has happened. That should happen this week, because last week he 
gave a briefing in room 407 and didn't even mention this, even though 
it was going to appear on TV that night.
  All of us who care so much about our troops, who are risking their 
lives with bravery, hate to see any stain upon them. The quicker we 
deal with this, the better it will be for everybody. Don't hide it. 
Don't underplay it. Just get it out, exorcise it, and go forward. That 
is what we have to do. I hope Mr. Rumsfeld will come before us quickly.




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