[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 74 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5587]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          NOT RELEASING DETAINEE PHOTOS IS THE RIGHT DECISION

  (Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to say thank you to our 
President. I am grateful that he has reversed his decision on releasing 
the alleged detainee abuse images.
  It was the right decision to come to. It was the right decision to 
make, and I congratulate him. I thank him. I think we are all grateful 
to him.
  I am glad to see that he listened to his team of national security 
advisers and realized that releasing those images is not in our 
national interest.
  It does not make this Nation more safe. It makes it less safe. It 
does not help our troops in the field. It makes their job more 
difficult, more dangerous, and it makes their lives less safe every 
day.
  Having Fort Campbell in my district, with troops just returning, 
having our Tennessee National Guardsmen just now deploying to 
Afghanistan, what we need to do every day is say thank to you these men 
and women and make certain that our service honors their service. And I 
thank the President for joining us in reversing his decision.

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