[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 26555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           TORTURE AMENDMENT

  (Mr. UDALL of Colorado asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, it is said that actions speak 
louder than words, but our reputation depends on both. Fair or not, for 
people around the world, the actions of a few Americans at Abu Ghraib 
have left a stain on America's reputation and have made it harder for 
us to win the war against global jihadists. Erasing that stain and 
protecting our soldiers will take both respectable actions and credible 
words.
  I applaud the Senate for twice voting, once by a 90-9 tally and again 
by voice vote, to set clear guidelines for interrogating prisoners and 
to prohibit techniques that do not meet Army regulations in the Geneva 
Conventions. Making that the law will give credibility to our words 
about our conduct.
  If anyone knows about torture, it is the senior Senator from Arizona. 
What does he say? Senator McCain says the idea America could use 
torture is killing us. He says torture does not work. It yields 
answers, but not necessarily the truth. That is wrong, because as 
Senator McCain says, our men and women in uniform are always, always 
Americans and different, better, and stronger than those who would 
destroy us.
  Mr. Speaker, our troops need clear guidelines, and the Senate 
amendment provides just that. The House should take a stand and pass 
this important amendment.

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