[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 73 (Friday, June 9, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5680-S5681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FIGHTING TERRORISM

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, there are two things on my mind today that 
I wanted to share with our colleagues.
  First of all, I wanted to come to the floor to take issue with 
something that I view as a disturbing trend that I have seen develop 
over the last few days

[[Page S5681]]

when it comes to our ongoing efforts to liberate the Iraqi people and 
to fight the global war on terror.
  Yesterday, during a 9 a.m. press conference with MG Bill Caldwell, 
the military spokesman in Baghdad, regarding the mission that killed 
terrorist Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, one reporter asked:

       Were you going for Zarqawi? We've heard that you have been 
     going for some other people and then there was some luck 
     involved.

  To which Major General Caldwell replied:

       We knew exactly who was there. We knew it was Zarqawi. And 
     that was the deliberate target that we went to get.

  An AP story yesterday said:

       What may have changed the Americans' luck was U.S. 
     Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad's efforts to mend relations with 
     Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs, alienated by the U.S. invasion 
     and the new Shiite-dominated government.

  And a story yesterday in Time Magazine entitled ``How They Got 
Zarqawi; the Manhunt That Snared Him.''
  In part I quote that story:

       The fact that intelligence agencies were able to close in 
     on a man who had eluded capture for three years, during which 
     his terror operations left thousands of Iraqis dead, suggests 
     that some of those close enough to know Zarqawi's whereabouts 
     and connections may have been ready to shop him to his 
     enemies. Not necessarily, of course.

  The story goes on to say:

       The intel services could have simply gotten a lucky break 
     through the slow but steady gathering of information, or 
     Zarqawi could have made a mistake. Either way, a key agent in 
     the chaos gripping Iraq has now been taken out of the 
     equation.

  Also, as we know, recently there were arrests of 12 men and 5 youths 
in Canada last weekend, foiling a major terrorist plot to attack 
targets in southern Ontario. The assistant director of operations of 
the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said the men arrested are 
followers of a ``violent ideology inspired by al-Qaida.''
  In reporting on this story, CBS News also had this to say with regard 
to recent terror arrests:

       Police in Toledo, Ohio busted another cell in February. 
     This one consisted of three men training to attack U.S. 
     forces overseas. Once again, luck played a role.

  So, Mr. President, I got to thinking about this word, this four-
letter word ``luck.'' It is certainly a loaded term, and in the context 
of yesterday's operation, I think it is a pretty dismissive term as 
well.
  Instead of luck, I would suggest that the elimination of Abu Mus'ab 
al-Zarqawi was a combination of professionalism, patience, persistence, 
and precision munitions, not luck. Professionalism, patience, 
persistence, and precision munitions, not luck.
  To me, attributing all of this somehow to luck devalues the 
preparation of our men and women in uniform as well as our intelligence 
services and our coalition forces. It doesn't give adequate credit to 
the heightened awareness that we have exercised since September 11, 
2001, and it certainly doesn't do justice to patient, relentless 
execution of the war on terror by our fighting forces and allies. So I 
think it is time we get a little perspective.
  Was it luck when officials were conducting an investigation that 
foiled a plot the impact of which had the potential to rival the 
bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building? Was it luck that 
motivated the Iraqis to tip U.S. forces to Zarqawi's whereabouts? Was 
it luck that trained our forces to execute that critical mission? And 
while we are on the subject, was it luck that our men and women in 
uniform executed the invasion and liberation of Iraq successfully and 
in a miraculously short period of time? Was it luck that Saddam Hussein 
was removed from his position as head of a terrible, tortuous regime 
and found cowering in a spider hole and brought to justice? Was it luck 
when CIA forces joined with Pakistani authorities to capture top al-
Qaida operative Khalid Shaikh Mohammed?
  I can't help but find it interesting that, as the old adage goes, the 
harder our military and intelligence forces work, the luckier they seem 
to get. Or it could be more apt to say it this way, in the words of the 
old adage, luck is when preparation meets opportunity.
  All of these achievements were hard won, and all of the victories in 
this global war are bought with a dear price--and we should never 
forget that or try to dismiss that hard work and those efforts, the 
determination and sacrifice as merely luck.
  It is not luck that is bringing the fight to the terrorists' 
doorstep. It is not luck that our country and our allies are hunting 
down those who would threaten our freedom and perhaps even our very way 
of life. September 11, 2001, was a dark day in our Nation's history. 
But let's not forget the meaning of our actions as we fight and win the 
war on terror is inextricably linked to the events on that day, the day 
the world mourned with us, the day our friends said, ``Today we are all 
Americans.''
  Since that day we have worked to bring terrorists to justice, and we 
are succeeding. We are succeeding because of commitment, dedication, 
hard work, patience, and sacrifice. We are going to continue doing all 
that we can and all that we must to defend the cause of freedom.
  I caution those who would dismiss these efforts in a world that in 
this context has little meaning. Let's recognize these accomplishments 
for what they are and be thankful for the protection provided by our 
men and women in uniform, our intelligence communities, our friends, 
and our allies.

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