[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 116 (Thursday, September 23, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9549-S9551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     NEWS CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT BUSH AND PRIME MINISTER ALLAWI

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I thank the Chair. I will take the opportunity to 
speak in morning business.
  Mr. President, in the last couple of hours, a news conference was 
held with President Bush and Prime Minister Allawi, the interim Prime 
Minister from Iraq, in an attempt to clarify our Iraq policy. It was 
held in the Rose Garden.
  What we heard was a peculiar use of words, when a reporter asked 
President Bush to explain some comments he made on Tuesday. Those 
comments are on this chart. President Bush--this was on September 21 at 
the Waldorf-Astoria. The quotation is that of the President when he 
says:

       The CIA laid out a--several scenarios that said, life could 
     be lousy, life could be OK, life could be better. And they 
     were just guessing as to what the conditions might be like.

  That is talking about Iraq. The reporter further asked President Bush 
why, after faithfully relying on CIA intelligence estimates to justify 
invading Iraq, he now calls CIA intelligence ``just guessing.'' Once 
again I quote President Bush:

       I used an unfortunate word, ``guess''; I should have used 
     ``estimate.''

  An unfortunate word? It was unfortunate, all right, because many of 
us in the Congress are taking the quality of our Nation's intelligence 
very seriously. It was unfortunate because the American people are 
trying to understand what has taken place, what took place on 9/11, 
what took place in the review of 9/11 with the 9/11 Commission. The 
demand is that we take intelligence seriously after the failures of 9/
11.
  Yesterday, we approved the appointment of a new CIA Director, Mr. 
Porter Goss. Although I challenged that appointment, the fact is he won 
the confidence of this body and, without any possible interruption, is 
going to be the head of the CIA. I think that is pretty darn important. 
There were hours of debate in the Senate, covered on TV channels, in 
newspapers, you name it; everybody must have thought it was pretty 
important. But President Bush said something else. President Bush said 
he was trusting the word of a foreign leader, and the statement is made 
like this:

       And the CIA came--

  Once again, he is talking about the situation in Iraq--

     and said, ``this is a possibility, this is a possibility, and 
     this is a possibility.'' But what's important for the 
     American people to hear is reality. And the reality is right 
     here in the form of Prime Minister Allawi. And he is 
     explaining what is happening on the ground. That's the best 
     report.

  Are we hearing that President Bush is dismissing the word of the CIA, 
the comments of the CIA, to say they are just guessing or that might be 
a guesstimate, and what is really happening, the reality is right here 
in the form of the Prime Minister? Are we going to trust the Prime 
Minister of a foreign country to supply intelligence that is more 
reliable than the CIA? Lord willing, I hope not.
  First the President says our intelligence data is just guessing, and 
then he says the word of a foreign leader is more valuable than U.S. 
intelligence. The entire purpose of our intelligence program is so we 
do not have to rely on the word of a foreign government for 
information. Would we take the word of a Prime Minister of a country to 
say I think this is the condition in a territory, that is the condition 
in that territory, and use that information to declare war and send 
over 1,000 people to their death? I hope not.
  The President has finally admitted he uses unfortunate words. He 
certainly has. I remember some words that shocked me. I was a soldier 
once, a long time ago, and I never heard a commander, whether it was a 
lieutenant in charge of my platoon or the general of the army, Dwight 
D. Eisenhower, or any other world leader say,

[[Page S9550]]

``Bring 'em on,'' when they were talking about the enemy. The last 
thing I wanted to see was a German soldier, I can tell you.
  But when President Bush said ``Bring 'em on,'' it was unfortunate. 
There were tragic consequences. And now since we lost four more people 
than when I talked yesterday, the number is up to 1,041 troops killed 
and so many more injured.
  On May 1, 2003, President Bush made another unfortunate statement. He 
said: ``Mission accomplished.'' It was a grand presentation on the deck 
of an aircraft carrier with proud American sailors standing behind him, 
flags waving all over the place. He said: ``Mission accomplished.'' 
That premature statement gave false hope to our troops and the families 
back home who were waiting for them now that it was all done, all 
wrapped up.
  ``Mission accomplished'' says: Job well done, finished. This was not 
a job well done, not at all. Yes, our troops fought hard. Yes, there is 
plenty of bravery. Yes, there is plenty of courage out there. But for 
the Commander in Chief to say ``mission accomplished,'' he could have 
said: ``Pack your duffel bags; you are going home.''
  When I heard ``mission accomplished'' in World War II, I was on a 
ship headed for Japan, having served in Europe first. When President 
Roosevelt and President Truman at the time said, ``mission 
accomplished,'' we came home. When it was said here, May 1, 2003, 
roughly 18 months ago, ``mission accomplished,'' the mission was not at 
all accomplished. Ask the families of the 1,041 who perished in Iraq. 
Ask those families, more than 800 since the President declared 
``mission accomplished,'' ask them whether they think the job is done.
  Then the President flip-flopped on whether we can win the war on 
terror, which is what he said. One day, he told Matt Lauer from NBC on 
national television:

       I don't think you can win the war on terror.

  The next day he said:

       We will win the war on terror.

  President Bush is speaking more and more unfortunate words, and flip-
flopping on fundamental issues. I think that is what they accuse John 
Kerry of, flip-flops. Maybe we ought to put up a chart that shows who 
did more flip-flops than the other. We can prove President Bush's flip-
flops were accompanied by pain and grievous losses.

  There was a ``Hardball'' interview last night by Chris Matthews. Bush 
supporters on that program, a man by the name of Ed Rogers, said 
Senator Kerry is like George McGovern. Anybody who served in this body 
understands that George McGovern fought in World War II heroically, and 
there is not anybody who served with George McGovern or who knows 
anything about him who is not proud of his accomplishments and his 
commitment to the well-being of America. So that is a sarcastic way of 
saying something is wrong with those two men--John Kerry was awarded 
the Bronze Star, Silver Star, and three Purple Hearts. George McGovern 
served in Europe during World War II--and that there is something 
sinister about their character.
  Bush supporters say Kerry is like George McGovern. The real analogy 
that ought to be made is perhaps President George W. Bush is like 
Richard Nixon, campaign dirty tricks, misleading the American public. 
Maybe that is the right comparison.
  We can continue to criticize and assassinate character, which seems 
to be the thrust of the Bush-Cheney campaign. This chart was shown on 
the floor by another Senator about John Kerry's record. John Kerry's 
record is three Purple Hearts. Those are awards for being wounded, 
confirmed by medical personnel. You cannot get a Purple Heart by 
writing a letter and saying: I am hurt here and hurt there. And you 
cannot get a Silver Star without the Secretary of a service signing on 
or you cannot get a Bronze Star without certification by someone of 
very high rank in the military.
  Instead, we ought to look at a chart such as this: Bush rhetoric, and 
the reality in Iraq.
  If the measure of your performance is to be the interim Prime 
Minister of Iraq, brave man though he may be, who insists Iraq is going 
to be ready to take over in January with an election and they will have 
145,000 people in uniform ready to fight, and a year later up to 
200,000--I hope that is not wishful thinking because if it is, it could 
turn into a nightmare.
  No, we have to do better than that. We have to be able to tell the 
American people the truth. We have to be able to look at the record of 
both people. I know this: If I were being called into battle, I would 
sure as heck follow John Kerry in because I know if I fall in the water 
he is going to turn around and pull me out. But I would not be able to 
find George W. Bush because he was not there in the unit to take up his 
part. No, he was absent, I think the record has established, and I am 
not getting into CBS's authenticity.
  We have other records that say he did not show up for his physical 
and, thusly, could not qualify to fly any longer.
  So I think it has to stop. When we look at the reality of the Bush-
Cheney campaign and we see what Halliburton, a familiar tie to Vice 
President Cheney in an earlier period, has done to defraud the American 
Government, the American people of their funds, overcharging here, 
bribery there, a Vice President with a financial interest in this 
company that is held up for such disregard, that is the record at which 
we have to look: what was their performance, not what were their words.
  An irate, angry Senator spoke at the Republican convention. He said 
one thing you have to remember; it is not what people say, it is what 
they do that counts. Let us judge Senator Kerry by what he did that 
counts. Let us judge President George W. Bush on where we stand in this 
conflict: 1,041 dead, thousands more wounded, many of them very 
seriously.
  I visited some of them at Walter Reed Hospital.
  Mr. REID. Will the Senator yield for a question?
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I would, indeed.
  Mr. REID. Is the Senator from New Jersey aware that in the month of 
August alone more than 1,100 American soldiers were injured, wounded?
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. I thank the Senator from Nevada. No, I did not know 
that, but I am not surprised. I am not surprised because there are 
several thousand wounded and we know that in war the wounded is a 
multiple of those who are killed.
  When we look at what is happening, we talk about mission accomplished 
and we see a picture in the paper of the latest beheading--how 
dreadful, how horrible, how savage is our enemy--there is nothing I 
would rather do than to salute President Bush for ending the misery, 
for ending the war, for bringing the troops home. There is nothing I 
would rather do, but I do not see that in the picture, no, not if I 
look at the record, not if I look at what has been done, not what has 
been said. I do not see that. So I think we must be very careful.
  In World War II, they had an expression that was kind of basic which 
talked about what we had to do to protect our troops. There were 16 
million of us in uniform. They used to say ``loose lips sink ships.'' 
They asked people not to talk about things. They asked other things of 
people, too, during World War II. I remember hearing President 
Roosevelt's broadcast about sacrifice, about turning out the lights in 
places so we could not be seen by an enemy bomber, a ship--sacrifice. I 
have not heard President Bush talk about sacrifice to the American 
people.
  I have heard a lot of bragging about what has been done. I have yet 
to witness the accomplishments that accompany those boastful comments.
  I hope it will not be too long before the thousands of people who we 
have in harm's way, those who are doing their best to fight the battle, 
will be able to come home and rejoin their families. There is terrible 
upset in the homes of reservists in particular across the country, a 
lot from my home State of New Jersey, where daddy is not there, where 
mom has to take care of the kids. In some cases, mom is away and dad is 
taking care of the kids, still trying to earn an income, saddled by 
indebtedness, mortgages, health care needs for parents or grandparents. 
They want those people home, and we all do. It does not have to be a 
Democrat or a Republican or otherwise who would not want to see a 
smiling face come walking through the door.

  So let us not hear any more talk about mission accomplished. Let us

[[Page S9551]]

hear the truth about where we are. If it is a painful truth, as someone 
who has to go in for surgery has to know at times so they can get 
better, let us hear the truth, let us hear when it is that we are going 
to bring our troops home. Let us hear when it is that the fighting is 
going to end. Let us hear when it is that there is confidence to be 
restored in the Presidency. Above all, let us stop assailing the 
character of those who would challenge the positions that we are in, 
because I think that is the essential working of a democracy: 
Challenge, ask questions, instead of snide criticism that says they are 
unpatriotic if a question is asked about an appropriations bill or 
something such as that. Do not do that.
  We have John Kerry who served honorably, bravely, in Vietnam and had 
the courage to say: I disagreed with the policy but I had the courage, 
the guts, the backbone to go do what I had to do. Let his record speak 
for itself and do not try to color it with innuendo and insult.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Crapo). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, are we in morning business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. We are.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 
10 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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