[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17108-17109]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WAR ON TERROR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PATRICK J. MURPHY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2007

  Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
talk about the continued need for accountability in the war on terror. 
I support the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, but 
must register my concerns about the money we pledge to send to 
Pakistan.
  Clear rules and accountability are vital to winning the war on 
terror. Just as we attach benchmarks and set goals for the money the 
United States sends to Iraq and Afghanistan, we must do the same for 
Pakistan--especially if Pakistan is to continue as a true partner in 
this fight.
  While Iraq continues to smolder, Osama bin Laden--the murderer of 
more than 3,000 innocent Americans is still at large. President Bush 
said at a press conference 5 years ago, that he ``didn't spend much 
time on him.''
  Recently, when asked why bin Laden hadn't been brought to justice yet 
he said: ``Why is he still at large? Because we haven't got him yet . . 
. That's why. And he's hiding, and we're looking, and we will continue 
to look until we bring him to justice.''
  This is not good enough.
  Meanwhile, the Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan and American 
commanders on the ground are asking for more troops to fight terror, 
hunt down al Qaeda and kill Osama bin Laden.
  Madam Speaker, we need to win the war on terror--and that means 
hunting down bin Laden and al Qaeda wherever they are. That means--
above all else--success in Afghanistan.
  Our troops over there are doing an amazing job and they deserve our 
continued support. It is getting harder for them, especially along the 
border between Afghanistan and Pakistan--and in some of the areas where 
we believe bin Laden is still at large.
  I have always said that we needed to be tough and smart in fighting 
the war on terror. That means asking tough questions--even of our 
friends. One question that needs to be asked--especially as we prepare 
to send them $300 million dollars--is about Pakistan's President 
Musharraf.
  Right now we can count President Musharraf as an ally but is he doing 
all he can to hunt bin Laden? We cannot afford to let a mass murderer 
slip through our fingers again.

[[Page 17109]]

  The U.S. has sent $5.6 billion in military reimbursements to Pakistan 
for counterterrorism efforts--this is $80 million a month. We are about 
to vote to send them even more.
  In the early days of the war in Afghanistan, President Bush decided 
to out-source the hunt for bin Laden in Tora Bora. Now we need to 
examine--are we relying too much on Pakistan and their accord with 
tribal warlords near the Afghan border for the same reason?
  Why do we, the United States of America, continue to send roughly $1 
billion per year to Pakistan if they are going to slash patrols through 
the area where al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are most active?
  Why, as Senator Reed has said, are we reimbursing Pakistan for their 
efforts instead of, ``paying for specific objectives?''
  Is it true, as two American analysts and one American soldier 
reported--that Pakistani security forces fired in direct support of 
Taliban ground attacks on Afghan Army posts?
  Families in the 8th District of Pennsylvania voted me here to ask 
tough questions and demand accountability.
  I hope over the coming weeks and months this Congress gets answers to 
these vital questions so we can effectively prosecute the war on 
terror.
  We can win the war on terror but after more than 4 years in Iraq and 
nearly 6 years in Afghanistan, we need to demand more results.
  Madam Speaker, by asking the tough questions we can continue to 
support the troops who are fighting bravely to secure our Nation.

                          ____________________