[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 17401-17402]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           NATIONAL SECURITY

  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the issue of 
national security. Safety and security of the American people must be 
our Government's top priority, and we must not lose sight of the threat 
that faces our Nation. As we approach the anniversary of the attacks of 
September 11, 2001, I wish to remind all Americans that these were acts 
of war against the United States.
  Since then, the United States and our coalition partners have fought 
back.
  Despite what some might say, we have seen many successes. We have 
dismantled al-Qaida's terrorist network in Afghanistan and helped 
democracy rise in its place.
  We are working with our allies to secure a united, stable, and 
democratic Iraq.
  We have led an international campaign against terrorist financing, 
freezing over $1.5 billion in terrorist assets in the United States 
alone.
  Since September 11, there have been no terrorist attacks or acts on 
American soil. Our intelligence system has prevented 15 major terrorist 
plots that we know of and likely many others that are undisclosed. We 
have convicted over 261 defendants in terrorism-related cases and 
charged more than 180 others.
  While we are continually working to make America safer, we still face 
serious threats from our enemies both at home and abroad.
  To win the war against the Islamic fascists, we need an effective 
intelligence system that is lawful but also provides us with the 
necessary information to prevent attacks before they occur.
  Only last month we were once again reminded that there are people out 
there who want to kill us and what we stand for. Fortunately, with the 
help of our British allies, we were able to prevent the terrorists from 
killing innocent civilians. These threats are real, this war is real, 
and the outcome will be determined by the action of our Congress and 
our people, and it will determine the future of our Nation.
  This war is unlike any other war we have ever fought. It is both a 
battle of arms and a battle of ideas. This war of ideology is not an 
easy one and requires an advancement of freedom.
  I know it is often difficult to turn on the news and hear reports 
from Iraq and Afghanistan and question what type of effective democracy 
we have in place. Have we so quickly forgotten the image 9 months ago 
of Iraqis waving their blue fingers in the air after they had voted in 
the first free elections in their nation's history? Have we forgotten 
the images of women and children sitting in classrooms in Afghanistan, 
free to learn without the fear of persecution or execution?
  These are images I will never forget. They are images of democracy at 
work.
  Just this morning we saw democracy at work when coalition forces in 
Iraq handed over control of the Iraqi armed forces to the Iraqi 
Government.
  Effective democracies do take time and hard work. They cannot be 
created overnight, but in the end they combat the ideology of Islamic 
fascists.
  These terrorists recognize this and because of it are willing to kill 
innocent people to stop the spread of freedom.
  I urge my colleagues not to let them succeed in their efforts and to 
join me in maintaining a united front against these terrorist nations 
and the terrorists across the world as we press ahead with important 
national security legislation in the coming weeks.
  While we may disagree about different policies in our war against 
these terrorists, we must not lose sight of what is at stake for our 
country. We owe it to future generations--my 35 grandkids, 4 great-
grandkids, 9 children, and their spouses--we owe it to all Americans 
because the cost of failure is too great.
  I, for one, will not back down from the challenges and look forward 
to working with my colleagues on this matter.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Murkowski). The Senator from Mississippi.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, I am pleased to join my colleague from 
Kentucky in commenting this morning during morning business on our 
efforts to protect against the continuing threats to our Nation, 
specifically protecting ourselves against the continuing threat from 
terrorists.
  I am pleased to see President Bush in recent days presenting to the 
American people and the world what the facts are, what we have achieved 
in our efforts to defend our country against the terrorist acts and to 
protect against those who would harm American citizens around the 
world.
  I am pleased to see that we have the strong leadership of the 
President on this issue and those who are working with him in the 
administration to carry out his policies and the policies we have 
identified here to support through votes in the Senate and the House.
  Secretary Rumsfeld has come under a lot of criticism recently. Many 
people have been making speeches, calling for his resignation. I think 
he has done a good job. I think he has been a solid performer to carry 
out the mission that we have to perform to succeed in the war on 
terror.
  The Congress has approved appropriations bills, authorizations for 
the work that is being done in this very difficult and challenging 
area. We now have before us in the Senate another appropriations bill 
providing funds for the Department of Defense. We have a bill that has 
been approved by our Appropriations Committee funding the Department of 
Homeland Security. In both of these measures, we have outlined an 
aggressive effort that should be carried out by our Government to 
protect our country, and the efforts that we have made and the 
administration has made are working. They are doing a great job.
  Recent events in England have shown us how difficult the challenge is 
for other countries and how sometimes preemptive and decisive action is 
needed in order to protect the citizens of England and our country as 
well. We applaud the close working relationship we have with them. We 
benefit from their efforts, and we are grateful to them for the courage 
and the skill they have shown in this war on terror.
  The Congress should continue to support the administration, not take 
advantage of opportunities for political bickering, partisan 
nitpicking--whatever one might want to call it. I think we need to take 
a higher ground in this debate and discussion of what our options are 
for protecting our country and our people. We don't need the constant 
drumbeat of partisan criticism against the President and the Secretary 
of Defense.
  I think we should consider instead the impressive success of our 
soldiers, their courage, and the courage of their leaders and the skill 
of their leaders in mobilizing the resources of our country

[[Page 17402]]

to guarantee success in the war on terror.
  Just consider what is going on in Iraq right now. Madam President, 
under the leadership of President Bush and Secretary of Defense 
Rumsfeld and GEN George Casey, our outstanding commander who is 
responsible for the multinational force that is in Iraq today, we are 
successfully helping Iraq organize, equip, and train their forces so 
they can take care of their own security interests.
  Iraqi security forces are now in the lead and responsible for almost 
75 percent of the military obligations and challenges that are faced 
today in Iraq.
  There are currently 5 Iraqi divisions, 26 brigades, and 88 battalions 
that are in the lead in their areas of responsibility in Iraq.
  More and more of the land area in Iraq is now under the control of 
Iraqi's own security forces, supported, of course, by coalition 
government troops who are there as well.
  The other day, at a news conference in Baghdad, General Casey 
explained that he can see U.S. troop reductions in Iraq over the next 
12 to 18 months because Iraqi security forces are progressing to a 
point where they can take on the security responsibilities of the 
country.
  We have seen a significant step being taken when the Iraqi Ministry 
of Defense announced it is assuming direct operational control over the 
country's Armed Forces. That announcement was made today. The Iraqi 
joint headquarters, under the direction of the Ministry of Defense, 
will be fully responsible now for the Iraqi Air Force, the Iraqi naval 
force, and the Iraqi ground forces command.
  These are facts, Madam President, which we ought to consider and 
applaud, and our Government and our Department of Defense and our 
soldiers deserve credit for the successes they have achieved and the 
strong leadership that has been provided to them.
  The United States and coalition forces have gradually turned over 
other security operations in Afghanistan, for example, to NATO forces. 
This has been a very impressive feat of leadership to bring together 
the forces of NATO originally responsible for European defense and now 
enlarged to include areas of concern to other NATO countries in what 
had been previously considered out-of-area interests.
  NATO forces have taken control of the International Security 
Assistance Force in the north, west, most recently in the south, and 
now are making progress in the east to achieve control and success in 
defending the security of the people of Afghanistan.
  There are 37 nation states involved in this effort. We ought to 
applaud the President, and we ought to applaud the Secretary of Defense 
for the successes they have achieved in moving us to this point in our 
dealings with Afghanistan. We have liberated Afghanistan. The Russians 
had experiences there. We recall their failures and the dangers that 
continued under the Taliban--the deprivation of rights, particularly of 
women and children. No schools were available. Now we have moved into a 
new area of freedom and hope because of the work that these 37 nations 
have achieved under U.S. leadership and with the U.S. military very 
actively involved.
  So today I am pleased to say to the administration and the Secretary 
of Defense and the President specifically: We are proud of the work you 
are doing. We are going to continue to support you by providing the 
funding you need to carry out your missions and protect our country 
against terrorists and the other threats that we have looming on the 
horizon.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Madam President, how much time is remaining in morning 
business on our side?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is only 15 seconds remaining.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 
up to 5 minutes as in morning business. I want to speak about the 
Iranian President who is going to be in Washington speaking today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. CONRAD. There is no objection on our side.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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