[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 19938-19940]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATE

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, there has been so much in the news 
since last Sunday regarding parts of a National Intelligence Estimate 
that was put out in a major American newspaper. The leaked report has 
been the subject of much discussion, supposedly saying that the war in 
Iraq is hurting the chances of our stopping the terrorist attacks on 
ourselves and other freedom-loving nations.
  Yesterday, the President said he believed it was very important, 
rather than just having the leaked portions of the National 
Intelligence Estimate available to the public, to have the whole 
document be out in the public forum. Within a matter of hours, the 
President declassified the Key Judgments of the National Intelligence 
Estimate so that everyone in America--and indeed in the world--would be 
able to see the full text of the Key Judgments, which was an internal, 
classified document that was meant to assess the threats, the global 
threats from terrorists to ourselves and other western nations, or 
other democracies around the world.
  I think it is so important that we get the full report out there. The 
Key Judgments are on the Web for everyone to see. Anyone with a 
computer or a FAX machine can get these Key Judgments. I think what it 
does is show, clearly, that what the President is trying to do, and 
what our strategy in America is, is the right one; that is, that we 
must continue to pursue the terrorists without equivocation, without a 
lessening in commitment, without any hesitancy. We must go after these 
terrorists, who are inhuman, who have no standards of any moral 
framework, and we must not be diffident in our efforts to wipe them out 
before they attack Americans and other freedom-loving people in the 
world--indeed, innocent women, children, and men who are being 
slaughtered daily with suicide bombs and kidnappings and beheadings.
  Secondly, the major point that the President is trying to make--and 
most of us in Congress agree with--is that we need to have a very long 
term commitment to help bring freedom to the people who are living 
under the regimes that treat women as if they are subhuman, that treat 
their own people who might be of a different sect as if they are lesser 
people, or because I am a Sunni and you are a Shiite, or I am a Kurd 
and you are a Sunni--any of those combinations. They are treating each 
other with the same violence, and inhumane treatment as they do with 
Americans.
  Mr. President, I think if you look at the entire report, you will see 
that the strategy of cut and run is not the way to wipe out the 
terrorists. The President's strategy is not to treat terrorists with 
kid gloves. The President's strategy is to go on the offensive to bring 
terrorists to justice. The President's strategy is to also work with 
the innocent people in the Middle East so they can have freedom, they 
can have democracy, they can have a quality of life that would make 
their children want to live, rather than blow themselves up in order to 
kill innocent people. And it is to confront the terrorists with the 
same determination that they bring to their assault on freedom. We must 
treat them with absolute clarity--that we will not give up the defense 
of freedom and be dictated to by people who do not even treat their own 
people with humanity, and who treat women as if they are not human 
beings.
  Mr. President, I want to talk about some specific parts of the 
report. I

[[Page 19939]]

want to put in the Record some of the significant Key Judgments that I 
have not seen reported in the press. Here are some of the key parts of 
the report under the ``Key Judgments'' section of the National 
Intelligence Estimate:

       United States-led counterterrorism efforts have seriously 
     damaged the leadership of al-Qaida and disrupted its 
     operations; however, we judge that al-Qaida will continue to 
     pose the greatest threat to the Homeland and U.S. interests 
     abroad by a single terrorist organization. We also assess 
     that the global jihadist movement . . . is spreading and 
     adapting to counterterrorism efforts.
       Greater pluralism and more responsive political systems in 
     Muslim majority nations would alleviate some of the 
     grievances jihadists exploit. Over time, such progress, 
     together with sustained, multifaceted programs targeting the 
     vulnerabilities of the jihadist movement and continued 
     pressure on al-Qa'ida could erode support for the jihadists.

  That is saying in the internal document that pursuing democracies, 
freedom, and self-governance is one of the ways that we will be able to 
eventually erode the al-Qaida terrorist network and other terrorist 
networks with which we are not even yet familiar. So it is verifying 
that education and the attempt to bring self-governance to the Middle 
Eastern countries that do not have it is the right approach.
  It goes on to say:

       We assess that the global jihadist movement is 
     decentralized, lacks a coherent global strategy, and is 
     becoming more diffused. New jihadist networks and cells, with 
     anti-American agendas, are . . . likely to
     emerge. . . .
       We assess that the operational threat from self-radicalized 
     cells will grow in importance to U.S. counterterrorism 
     efforts, particularly abroad but also in the Homeland.
       The jihadists regard Europe as an important venue for 
     attacking Western interests. Extremist networks inside the 
     extensive Muslim diasporas in Europe facilitate recruitment 
     and staging for urban attacks, as illustrated in the 2004 
     Madrid bombings and the 2005 London bombings.

  The report goes on to say:

       We assess that the Iraq jihad is shaping a new generation 
     of terrorist leaders and operatives; perceived jihadist 
     success there--

  In Iraq--

       would inspire more fighters to continue the struggle 
     elsewhere.
       The Iraq conflict has become the ``cause celebre'' for 
     jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in 
     the Muslim world. . . . Should jihadists leaving Iraq 
     perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we 
     judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.

  Let me reemphasize what they are saying in their estimate. Should the 
terrorists be perceived as failing, they would have fewer recruits for 
their continued terrorist activities.
  The report goes on to say:

       Concomitant vulnerabilities in the jihadist movement have 
     emerged that, if fully exposed and exploited, could begin to 
     slow the spread of the movement. They include dependence on 
     the continuation of Muslim-related conflicts, the limited 
     appeal of the jihadists' radical ideology, the emergence of 
     respected voices of moderation, and criticism of the violent 
     tactics employed against mostly Muslim citizens.
       The jihadists' greatest vulnerability is that their 
     ultimate political solution--an ultra-conservative 
     interpretation of shari'a-based governance spanning the 
     Muslim world--is unpopular with the vast majority of Muslims. 
     Exposing the religious and political straitjacket that is 
     implied by the jihadists' propaganda would help to divide 
     them from the audiences they seek to persuade.
       Recent condemnations of violence and extremist religious 
     interpretations by a few notable Muslim clerics signal a 
     trend that could facilitate the growth of a constructive 
     alternative to jihadist ideology: peaceful political 
     activism.

  That is exactly what the strategy of the United States has been. It 
is not a strategy that can be pursued on a short-term basis. Education 
and enlightenment is a very long-term strategy and the Muslim clerics 
now stepping up to denounce violence against other Muslims is exactly 
what we are seeing emerge. As this National Intelligence Estimate has 
revealed these developments are the beginning of how we can make a 
difference.
  The report goes on to say:

       If democratic reform efforts in Muslim majority nations 
     progress over the next five years, political participation 
     probably would drive a wedge between intransigent extremists 
     and groups willing to use the political process to achieve 
     their local objectives.

  I did not read all of the Key Judgments into the Record. I did read 
excerpts because I think the strategy of America today is a strategy 
that is being borne out by the report, which is the opposite of what 
the leaks purported to say; that our efforts in Iraq are undermining 
the Global War on Terrorism. When in fact, with regard to the situation 
in Iraq, it is actually essential for us to win in order to keep our 
commitment, in order to show that America will stand strong when the 
times are tough, and they are tough. To show that we will stand against 
these terrorists is the most important thing we can do, and that is our 
strategy.
  We should not be undercut by leaks that will undermine that strategy. 
We must be united as a Congress, as the President is trying to do, in 
saying that we must do the right thing, we must keep our commitments, 
we cannot cut and run because times are tough. We must admit that times 
are tough. We must admit that this has been one of the most difficult 
times in our history. But we must continue to be vigilant because, 
according to the report, if we are perceived as weak, if we are 
perceived as leaving because we are defeated rather than leaving after 
we have kept our word and are the victors in freeing the Iraqi people 
to have self-governance, then the jihadists, the terrorists, the 
networks, about which we don't even know yet, will be emboldened to 
come forward and hurt Americans in our homeland, as well as wherever 
they see a perceived weakness in the defenses of the people.
  I think the President of the United States did the right thing 
yesterday by immediately declassifying this document because if people 
will take the time to read it in its totality, people will see that it 
verifies the strategy in the short term of standing firm against these 
terrorists to show that we will not buckle, we will not cut and run, we 
will not be divided as a nation in our commitment to freedom and 
preservation of our society, and the long-term strategy of taking the 
time and the patience and the effort to work with the Muslim clerics 
and the Muslim leaders who are willing to stand up, who are willing to 
risk their lives for the future of their civilization and say violence 
against Muslims or other people who have not harmed us is wrong.
  That is what we are doing, and it is the right strategy.
  The President has had the current strategy against terrorism verified 
by the National Intelligence Estimate. Unfortunately, the National 
Intelligence Estimate was partially leaked last week but not in its 
full context. In the full context, we see the verification of the 
strategy, and we cannot relent. We know these terrorists want to spread 
terrorism and harsh, violent, inhuman regimes wherever they can get a 
foothold. It is the hope of peace and freedom and humanity that America 
and our allies carry to the battle. It is a battle, it is a war. It is 
every bit as much a fight for freedom as any war in which America has 
been involved.
  This is a war we cannot lose. We have stopped communism from taking 
over the world. We have stopped socialism from taking over the world. 
We cannot allow terrorists to take over the world if we are worth 
anything as leaders in this country. The President of the United States 
is resolute on this issue. Congress must stand with him. We must not 
allow selective leaks of internal intelligence advisories to be 
misconstrued to say that vigilance against terrorism is a losing 
proposition.
  I hope we can bring America together to speak with one voice. I hope 
we can bring America together to stay the very long term course that we 
must pursue in order to have the opportunities for our children that we 
have had, to grow up in the greatest country on Earth. That is our 
responsibility. We are the leaders of this country, and if we cannot 
protect freedom for our children, if we cannot protect the 
opportunities for them that we have had, we are not worthy. I think we 
are worthy, I think the President is worthy, and I think it is our 
responsibility to stand strong and to point out the facts where the 
facts have not been pointed out.
  That is exactly what I intend to do. That is what the President 
intends to

[[Page 19940]]

do. It is my hope that we do not have a divided Congress behind him but 
instead a united Congress with a united people to say to the terrorists 
who would break down the freedom we have built for over 200 years and 
the beacon of freedom that we are to the world: We will stand, we will 
not run, we will not be lackluster in our commitment. We do not have a 
30-minute attention span in this country. We have a memory, and that 
memory will never let terrorists take away our freedom, nor will it 
allow us to walk away from our responsibility to the future generations 
of America.
  We stand on the shoulders of giants who have protected freedom in 
this country. We cannot let the American people down, and we will not.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. GRAHAM). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in 
morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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