[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18583]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TERRORIST SURVEILLANCE

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, many Members have asked where we are with 
regard to the terrorist military tribunal and the terrorist 
surveillance legislation. With regard to the terrorist tribunal, as I 
have said repeatedly and restated yesterday, the legislation that 
leaves this Senate floor absolutely must achieve two goals: first, 
preserve the intelligence programs that we know have saved American 
lives; second, protect classified information from terrorists who could 
exploit it to plan another terrorist attack against the United States--
preserve intelligence programs that are lifesaving and protect 
classified information from terrorists who can use that information 
against us.
  As many of those watching know, after a lot of back and forth last 
week, Senators Warner, Graham, and McCain have engaged with the 
administration and have sent an offer to the White House that moves 
toward the President to meet the goals of a program that keeps 
information flowing from these terrorists who want to destroy our 
country and kill our citizens. Without passing their plan through the 
Senate, these Senators have been good enough to sit down with the 
administration. Discussions are underway to find common ground and to 
move toward those stated goals. I am hopeful that very soon an 
agreement can be reached with the President and with the majority of 
Republicans who know that we need an effective interrogation program 
that can get information from terrorists so we can make America safer.
  As well, we need a law that allows us to put these terrorists on 
trial for the crimes they have planned and executed against our 
country. Right now, we cannot do that. That is why this legislation is 
so important. But we need to do it in a way that we are not sharing 
classified information with those terrorists, who clearly will pass it 
on to others around the world to be used against us.
  With continued cooperation, it is possible that in the next few days 
a resolution can be arrived at that satisfies the vast majority of 
Senate Republicans and the President, so that together we can all move 
forward in making this country safer.

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