[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    USA PATRIOT ACT REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mr. DeLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, this week on the floor the House will 
consider the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act and all Members 
from both sides of the aisle will, 4 years after 9/11, have an 
opportunity to show the American people how seriously they take the 
ongoing threat of terrorism and how they would attempt to combat it.
  The PATRIOT Act, as we all know, has been a political punching bag 
for many ever since its passage. Wild, fear-mongering accusations have 
abounded about the suppression of dissent and abuse of power, yet in 
the PATRIOT Act's 4-year history no such abuses have been documented. 
It has not infringed on anyone, except our terrorist enemies.
  Unfortunately, too often, too many seem more critical of the actions 
of our own troops than those of the terrorists. And comical as it 
sounds, such reckless, irresponsible, partisan rhetoric is invariably 
prefaced with, ``I support the troops, but.''
  But you cannot, Mr. Speaker, you cannot support the troops, but 
compare them to Nazis. You cannot support the troops, but call their 
heroic work in Iraq a ``grotesque mistake.'' You cannot support the 
troops, but say Saddam Hussein's torture chambers are still open, but 
under new ``U.S. management.'' You cannot support the troops, but say, 
to score partisan points, that the war in Afghanistan is over, when 
those very troops are still in harm's way there.
  Policy differences are healthy, Mr. Speaker, but words have 
consequences.
  National security is more than just another political issue. 
Undermining the war on terror undermines the troops, emboldens the 
enemy, and endangers our young men and women in uniform.
  As much as some would like to, we cannot pretend it is September 10 
again. We cannot pretend the world is safe. Mr. Speaker, 9/11, Madrid, 
and London have proven that. Our only choice is to fight or surrender 
and, for 4 years, the American people have rallied behind our Commander 
in Chief, committed to fight this war until the last terrorist on earth 
is either in a cell or a cemetery.
  The Democrat Party of FDR and JFK, like the Republican Party under 
Ronald Reagan and George Bush, understood the necessity of strong, 
decisive, and bipartisan foreign policy in a dangerous world. This 
week's agenda will provide all Members from both sides of the aisle the 
opportunity to affirm whether such bipartisan unity is still possible.

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