[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1971-E1972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 2006

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, today, as we consider passage 
of H.R. 6166, we stand on the verge of undermining our Nation's own 
moral standard, and risk further eroding the moral authority we have 
already jeopardized with our unilateral action in Iraq. H.R. 6166 must 
be defeated.
  Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of 
State Colin Powell has written that the kinds of proposals included in 
H.R. 6166 add to the worldwide doubts of ``the moral basis of our fight 
against terrorism'' and ``would put our own troops at risk.'' Nearly 
all of the military's top attorneys have publicly expressed strong 
opposition to the proposals, saying that they not only go against the 
historical standards of conduct we have previously followed, but that 
the acts of torture and coercion are actually counterproductive, and in 
fact damaging, to the ability of our military to fully fight terrorism.
  It has been said that we must develop new ways to fight the enemy we 
now face, that the enemy confronting us does not care for human life 
and therefore we must not be restrained by unclear or antiquated laws. 
And Mr. Speaker, there is some truth to that. We do need to pass 
legislation that will provide the President with a tough and fair 
system of military commissions that will ensure swift prosecution of 
terrorists and protect our men and women in uniform. However, we must 
do so within the boundaries of our own standards

[[Page E1972]]

and values. Not those of the enemy. In the meantime, if we continue to 
defile our international agreements by blatantly disregarding them, it 
will only mean our profile abroad will continue to suffer, potentially 
to the great detriment of our men and women in uniform, and ultimately 
to our goal of successfully defeating our enemy.
  I would ask my colleagues, and I would ask the American people, do we 
really believe that we must betray our moral standard in order to 
defeat our enemies? We are fighting a different enemy, one espousing a 
radical ideology and using blatant violence as a vehicle to achieve its 
goals. But I do not believe for one second that this means our 
adaptation and our military strategy against this new enemy must 
include torture. Nor should it include a subversion of some of our most 
precious judicial protections. Tragically, and outrageously, H.R. 6166 
includes both of these.
  H.R. 6166 must be defeated.

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