[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8434-S8435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THREE YEARS OF PROGRESS

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I want to talk today about the 9/11 
Commission report, the war on terror, and the progress we have made 
since we were attacked 3 years ago in this country.
  For years, terrorists have attacked the United States with little or 
no reaction from us. We have highlighted time and time again the trail 
of terror that led to September 11, 2001.
  In 1993, terrorists bombed the World Trade Center, killing 6 people 
and wounding more than 1,000. It is still not fully solved.
  In 1996, terrorists bombed the U.S. military living quarters at 
Khobar Towers, Saudi Arabia, killing 19 brave Americans and wounding 
scores more--never solved.
  In 1998, followers of Osama bin Laden attacked U.S. Embassies in 
Kenya and Tanzania, killing and wounding hundreds--never solved.
  In 2000, Osama bin Laden's followers attacked the U.S.S. Cole in a 
harbor in Yemen, killing 17 sailors and wounding 39 more--not solved.
  Sadly, it took four hijacked airplanes being turned into weapons of 
mass destruction and the loss of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans and 
visitors to our country for us to resolve that we had been attacked, 
our way of life had been attacked, and the United States of America is 
going to fight back. We are in a war on terrorism.
  The 9/11 Commission is going to report on Thursday, and we know there 
will be blame for everybody about the failure of our intelligence 
capabilities. The administration of President Bush provided 
unprecedented access and cooperation to the Commission because the 
President said we want to know what went wrong so we can make it right. 
The President himself said:

       The 9/11 commission will issue a report this week and will 
     lay out recommendations for reform of the intelligence 
     services of the United States. I look forward to seeing those 
     recommendations. They share the same desire that I share 
     which is to make sure that Presidents and Congress get the 
     best possible intelligence. I have spoken about the reforms, 
     and some of the reforms are necessary--more human 
     intelligence, better ability to listen and see things and 
     better coordination among the various intelligence gathering 
     services.

  This is what President Bush said about the 9/11 Commission. He went 
further to say:

       Based on published accounts, we expect the commission 
     report will show that government institutions failed to adapt 
     to the threat of terrorism over more than a decade, enabling 
     terrorists to exploit dangerous weaknesses in our defenses. 
     We expect the commission to confirm that the blame for the 9/
     11 attacks lies squarely and exclusively with al-Qaida. It is 
     clear as the threat of international terrorism evolved over 
     more than a decade that our national security and 
     counterterrorism institutions did not resolve to meet the 
     threat under both Republican and Democratic administrations, 
     Republican and Democratic Congresses. The kind of systematic 
     changes and reform that might have made it more difficult for 
     the terrorists to strike on 9/11 did not take place.

  We have established that we can put the blame everywhere--in 
Congress, with Republicans, with Democrats, with administrations of the 
past and administrations of the present. We have taken some steps 
already as the Commission hearings have resolved.
  We have taken the steps of implementing a new policy on terrorism by 
holding to account terrorist groups and the states that sponsor them 
and not allowing dangerous threats to gather overseas unchecked. We 
have cut off their money supply in many instances where we could with 
cooperation from allies.
  We have transformed the FBI into an agency focused on preventing 
terrorist attacks through intelligence collection and other efforts 
while also trying to help it perform its traditional role as a world-
class law enforcement agency for investigating terrorism and other 
crimes.
  We conducted the largest reorganization of the Federal Government 
since 1947 by creating the Department of Homeland Security, bringing 
unparalleled focus and resources to homeland security efforts.
  We have dramatically increased security on airplanes and other 
transportation systems on our borders and in our ports, providing 
significantly increased support for America's first responders.

  We have broken down the unnecessary ``wall'' between law enforcement 
and intelligence gathering with the USA PATRIOT Act and with internal 
procedures and guidelines that are reformed so that our intelligence 
agencies and our law enforcement agencies can do their job without 
artificial restrictions that would keep them from doing something as 
simple as tracing through cell phones potential terrorists who are 
planning some kind of action against innocent law-abiding Americans.
  We are going to challenge these security issues. We are not going to 
ignore them. We are not going to wait for a future tragedy.
  Recently, President Bush articulated three commitments in our 
strategy for peace.
  First, we are defending the peace by taking the fight to the enemy. 
We are not sitting here waiting for the enemy to come back to America; 
we are taking the fight where the enemy is. We are taking the fight to 
the Taliban resurgents in Afghanistan. We are taking the fight to Iraq 
where, Heaven knows, we have seen the brutality of Saddam Hussein in 
his support for terrorists by giving $25,000 rewards to suicide bombers 
in Israel.
  Second, we are protecting the peace by working with friends and 
allies and international institutions to isolate and confront 
terrorists and outlaw regimes. We are laser-beam focused in the war on 
terrorism.
  We are working with the United Nations, the International Atomic 
Energy Agency, and other international organizations to take action for 
our common security. We are not facing a security threat just in the 
United States; we are facing a security threat to every freedom-loving 
country. Every country that lives in freedom is a target. We have seen 
it in bombings throughout the world, and recently in Spain.
  Third, we are extending the peace by supporting the rise of 
democracy.
  It is absolutely proven that in democratic and successful societies, 
men and women will not allow the malcontent and zealots and murderers 
to stay among them. They turn their labor to rebuilding and to better 
lives.
  Is there one person in the world who has children who doesn't want 
the best for them? Is there a person in the world who doesn't want an 
education for their children so their children will have a better life 
than they did? Is there one person in the world who doesn't want that? 
It is clear that the way to get education for every child and a quality 
of life that would be good for every child to grow up in is democracy 
and freedom. That is how you get it. That is what we are trying to 
provide. We are doing it in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq where 
they haven't known freedom for years. We have some successes.
  Look at Afghanistan. Three years ago, Afghanistan was the home base 
of

[[Page S8435]]

al-Qaida, ruled by the Taliban, the most cruel of regimes imaginable. 
The things they did to women and children are unimaginable in our 
country. Today, Afghanistan is looking at a presidential election this 
fall. The terror camps are closed. The Afghan Government is helping us 
to hunt down the remnants of the Taliban. The American people are safer 
because Afghanistan is now stabilized with a great President, Hamid 
Karzai, who wants for his people the same thing that everybody wants--
freedom, democracy, education, good health care, jobs, and an economy. 
He is trying to provide it, and we are helping him, and we are safer 
because of it.
  Let us look at Pakistan. Three years ago, Pakistan was a country that 
openly recognized the Taliban. Al-Qaida was active. They were 
recruiting in Pakistan. The United States was not on really good terms 
with Pakistan at that time, but today, we see a great ally in Pakistan. 
President Musharraf is a friend to our country. He is making reforms in 
Pakistan and trying to root out the same Taliban/al-Qaida network in 
the remote regions that have terrorized Afghanistan and, in fact, have 
hurt the people of Pakistan as well. It was Pakistan that helped us 
capture Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the planner of the 9/11 attack on 
America.
  Who could say we are not safer today because we have an alliance with 
Pakistan and an alliance and a stake in the stability of Afghanistan?
  Iraq, 3 years ago; where were the people of Iraq? The ruler of Iraq 
was an enemy of our country. He was a mass murderer. He had used 
weapons of mass destruction on his own people.
  Today, we see pictures of him in a system of justice which he never 
allowed his own people. But he is going to have justice. It is going to 
be given justice by the people he treated so horribly. The people of 
Iraq are seeking justice.
  The people of America are safer because Saddam Hussein is gone. He is 
not giving $25,000 to the family of a suicide bomber to blow up a bus 
in Israel and kill children. We are safer because there will be 
elections in Iraq. By next January, we will see the people of Iraq 
speaking about their own government. In fact, U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan 
has named a career diplomat to the post that has been vacant since 
suicide bombers blew up the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad last August, 
killing the last U.N. representative there. America is safer because 
Saddam Hussein is behind bars and because his sons are no longer 
torturing and maiming hundreds of people in Iraq.
  Saudi Arabia, 3 years ago; Saudi Arabia had terrorists within its 
midst and they were looking the other way. Today, Saudi Arabia says 
they are trying to find the attackers. They are finally realizing the 
growth of these terrorist regimes hurt their people, too. We are going 
to try to help Saudi Arabia in every way they ask us to help, to root 
out the terrorists who have fomented in their country.
  If there is no place for the terrorists to hide in the Middle East, 
and if people are starting to see an economy, and if there are 
democracies emerging in places such as Iraq, it will change the course 
of the whole Middle East.
  Libya, 3 years ago; Libya, a longtime supporter of terror, was 
spending millions of dollars to acquire chemical and nuclear weapons. 
Today, thousands of Libya's chemical munitions have been destroyed. The 
Libyan Government finally saw that the civilized world was not going to 
sit back any longer and let it continue to proliferate weapons of mass 
destruction. Muammar Qadhafi, in Libya, said: We are going to abandon 
any chance for nuclear weapons to be produced in our country.
  We are seeing the breakdown of the terrorist regimes, one by one, in 
the Middle East. Why are we seeing the regimes go away and the 
beginnings of democracy come forward? Because our President has been 
focused. He has not relented in the war on terrorism. He has not 
relented in his responsibility to protect the people of America. 
Everything he has done has been with one goal in mind and that is to 
protect the people of America. That is the President's focus and that 
is why we are as far along as we are.
  Let me read from an AP story about the success of the newly emerging 
Iraq stock exchange. From the AP on Sunday, July 18:

       The miniature Liberty Bell clanged. Elbows flew. Sweat 
     poured down foreheads. Sales tickets were passed and, with 
     the flick of the wrist, 10,000 shares of the Middle East Bank 
     has more than doubled in value.
       The frantic pace Sunday of those first 10 minutes of 
     trading typified the enthusiasm behind the Iraq Stock 
     Exchange--a new institution seen as a critical step 
     in building a new Iraqi economy.
       In just five sessions, trading volume has nearly quadrupled 
     and the value of some stocks has surged more than 600 
     percent. . . .
       The exchange's chief executive, as he eyed the activity on 
     the trading floor, which is housed in a converted restaurant 
     because looters had gutted the old exchange, looked out and 
     said: How can I not be excited about this?

  The unofficial figures of the day's trade tell the story. Over 10 
million equivalent dollars in stocks changed hands, reflecting the 
movement of 1.43 million shares--although only 27 companies are listed 
on the exchange.
  That is just one more step in the stabilization of Iraq. America is 
going to stay to help Iraq as they recover from the brutal regime of 
Saddam Hussein. As long as we are asked to stay to stabilize, we will 
be there. When we are no longer needed with the allies that are staying 
with us, we will happily leave that country in the hands of trained 
military personnel for security and in the hands of elected democratic 
leaders selected by the vote of the people.
  Today, we see the emerging of the temporary government of Sunnis and 
Shiites and Kurds, working together to create a unified Iraq that will 
be able to hold elections for that country.
  We have more to do. We all know we have more work to do. Our 
President has done so much in 3 years, rebuilding the areas of New York 
that were hit by terrorists, building up our security network, spending 
billions for homeland security, focusing on airline, airplane, and 
airport security, port security.
  We live in a big country. We live in a free country. It is hard to 
get control in a free country of every potential site that a terrorist 
might attack. But because we are free, the people of our country are 
stepping up to the plate, too; they are helping. They are being 
vigilant. They are looking for things that are strange and reporting 
them. We believe attacks have been averted because of the vigilance of 
the President and Congress and the people of the United States.
  We must remain a united country. When I hear some of the debates in 
the political arena, it is as if people are saying, we are two 
different countries; we are a divided country.
  We are not a divided country. We need leaders who recognize we are 
not a divided country. We are a unified country. We need leaders who 
will unify America and talk to the people about what we can do together 
that will make us stronger, standing up and celebrating our diversity, 
showing how it can work in a free and democratic society. That is what 
we are proving by leading as unifiers.
  We have a President of the United States who is leading for security 
and unification of our country. We must work with the President as a 
united Congress to combat terrorism for the security of our people.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from New York is 
recognized for 15 minutes.

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