[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16384]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       ADMINISTRATION WILL HAVE TO ACCOUNT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, this is the administration that lays 
claim to security. They have got it under control. They have got it 
covered. They know, so Americans should trust them and reward them with 
another 4 years.
  Well, it sure does not look that way. It took an independent, 
bipartisan panel to uncover 3 years later the fact that many of the 9/
11 terrorists had crossed Iran's border with the knowledge and approval 
of the Iranian Government.
  Why did the administration not know this? They made claims about 
their leadership in the war on terror. The administration's word rings 
hollow in the light of the 9/11 Commission's revelations.
  When it comes to the war on terror, this revelation demonstrates this 
administration does not know what it does not know, but they claim to 
be the leaders and they claim it now. Clearly, they do not. Three years 
after 9/11 occurred there is no excuse for them having to find out from 
the 9/11 Commission.
  The 9/11 Commission, with nothing close to the resources the 
administration has at its disposal, was able to uncover that many of 
the hijackers passed through Iran. Why did the administration not know 
this?
  What else do they not know? Why have 3 years gone by without an 
investigation into Iran? Why is that? What does this revelation mean 
about Iran? We do not know and neither does this administration.
  How could this happen? Very simply. The administration's obsession 
with Iraq. It is that simple. The administration diverted attention, 
resources and global support away from Afghanistan and the hunt for 
Osama bin Laden. This administration launched a war in Iraq on thinner 
evidence than what has been discovered about Iran and al Qaeda.
  The President talked tough today. Is he signaling the start of 
another prewar campaign? That was the pattern in Iraq. Start the 
rhetoric out in the open and plan behind the closed doors.
  Is that what is going on here? Considering the overwhelming U.S. 
military commitment in Iraq, the truth is, the United States has 
limited, if any, real ability to launch another significant military 
action while 160,000 troops remain in Iraq.
  What does that mean? It means we are overextended for one thing. It 
means that diversion into Iraq diverted the war on terror. It means the 
President's decision to invade Iraq deprived us of the right to 
investigate Iran. We have lost invaluable time, measured in years, when 
this administration beat a drum beat that turned war rhetoric with Iraq 
into reality.
  The 9/11 Commission has given us a glimpse of what we do not know. 
The rhetoric only goes so far. In the aftermath of the truth about 
Iraq, the administration's rhetoric is long on words but very short on 
credibility. That is not leading a war on terror.
  Today, America strains under the weight and the consequences of a 
misguided war that substituted rhetoric for evidence. Today, America 
sees firsthand the consequences of a war that diverted us away from the 
real fight we have. Today, America is beginning to see what was 
overlooked, left behind or simply ignored in the administration's rush 
to judgment against Iraq.
  Three years later, the consequences of the administration policy 
makes clear the real intelligence failure began not in the CIA but in 
the White House. Intelligence failure was not in the agencies. It was 
at the top, from the people who directed them. It should never have 
happened, and this administration will have to account with the America 
people in 105 days.
  We cannot afford an administration that wastes 3 years on the 
investigation of a country with nuclear power and other issues.

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