[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17911-17912]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       REGARDING REMARK IN PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a little under 20 years ago, 
the maiden holder of this congressional seat, the Honorable Barbara 
Jordan, served in this House. She served at a time that this Congress 
took up the impeachment process of then President Richard Milhous 
Nixon. Impeachment had not been done in the 20th century; and, of 
course, it was a very troubling, very serious and very sobering time 
for America and for this Congress.
  As I recollect, Chairman Rodino attempted to work across party lines,

[[Page 17912]]

and it was at a point of consensus on the House Judiciary Committee to 
the extent that Republicans conceded that maybe Mr. Nixon should resign 
that this process operated under. In fact, the Honorable Barbara Jordan 
was well noted for the words that she would not allow the Constitution 
to be diminished. It was at that time that I think Congress was at its 
best, bipartisan, in finding out the truth and telling the truth to the 
American people.
  I was not there in Congress, obviously, and so I do not know whether 
the media chose to demonize those who felt in their hearts that the 
truth needed to be told.
  We now come to almost 30 years, I believe, later, 2004, and we have a 
question of integrity and credibility, that on some sense there is a 
desire to know the truth. I have seen some light as this has unfolded 
to the American public, but I have also seen the effort to demonize 
those who would raise this question about what happened with respect to 
the intelligence that was given to the White House and the National 
Security Council.
  I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to present that this is another serious 
question of the integrity of government. Just a few years ago, as a 
member of the House Judiciary Committee, in almost an uncanny way, I 
participated in an impeachment that my friends on the other side of the 
aisle thought was imperative so that the American people could know the 
truth. By them dominating the United States Congress, the articles of 
impeachment moved forward and a trial was held in the United States 
Senate against the President of the United States at that time, 
President William Jefferson Clinton. I may have vigorously disagreed, 
and I did. I participated in the process through the democratic 
processes and argued that those charges did not reach a constitutional 
charge of impeachment. But the process proceeded, and the American 
people were able to tell or denote for themselves truth or 
consequences, truth or falsity.
  Today I ask the question of my Republican colleagues, is it no less 
important to find out whether or not the American people were misled as 
relates to intelligence given that was then recounted in one of the 
most sacred commentaries to the American people, the State of the 
Union?
  In that address, the President offered that there was evidence that 
had been received from the British that the Iraqi government had tried 
to buy uranium from Africa. Whether that statement was vetted, the key 
word was recent purchase. Because, based upon the overall presentation 
that was made, it suggested to the Congress and to the American people 
that there was an urgent need to go to war and an urgent basis upon 
which to perpetrate a preemptive strike.
  We now have the owners of this House, the majority of this House, 
demonizing those who are simply asking for truth, suggesting it is 
frivolous, suggesting it has already been answered, asked and answered, 
and I absolutely disagree.
  The American people deserve the truth, Mr. Speaker, because, as we 
speak, the sons and daughters of Americans are dying in Iraq. None of 
us would fail to defend this Nation, but it is a travesty that as we 
find the smudging fingerprints of misrepresentation across this 
administration that our colleagues would not rise to join us in an 
unanimous effort to ensure that an investigation is had.
  Ambassador Joe Wilson went to Africa in January, February and March 
of 2002 to investigate this, if you will, representation. He found that 
there was no truth to this. He said it over and over again.
  I have asked for the stepping aside of the CIA Director or the firing 
so that he can come forward under subpoena and speak the truth to the 
United States people. I conclude, Mr. Speaker, by simply saying that I 
will write a resolution of inquiry in order to find out the truth for 
the American people.

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