Senate Proceeding on Sep 24th, 2009 :: 8:57:55 to 9:11:45
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8:57:52 to 8:58:12( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: respect to the defense bil inserted in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will mr. chambliss: mr. president? the presiding officer: wil senator suspend. the clerk: calendar number 159, h.r. 3326, an act appropriations for the

8:57:55 to 9:11:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Saxby Chambliss

8:58:13 to 8:58:34( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: department of defense for fiscal year ending september 30, 2010, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. chambliss: mr. president, i'd ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. chambliss: mr. president, i come to the floor tonight with a heavy heart to express condolences to those in my home

8:58:35 to 8:58:56( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: state of georgia, as well as others across the southeastern partf our country, who've been fected by the recent devastating floods. it's hard to imagine that one year ago, we in georgia were in the fourth year of extensive drought, and yet today across the metro atlanta area and throughout north georgia, we

8:58:57 to 8:59:18( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: have gone from a water crisis in the last couple of years to rising waters that have transformed neighborhoods into rivers, ball fields into lakes, and basements into dank pools. rafts and kayaks have taken the place of cars in streets. in many areas, the only dry places are rooftops and treetops.

8:59:19 to 8:59:40( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: for four d? for four days and four nights water poured from the sky and rose from rivers, creeks and the saturated ground to claim lives and livelihoods, worldly possessions and treasured memories and flooded basements, attics, driveways and fields. rive and creeks swollen by

8:59:41 to 9:00:01( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: days of rain topped their banks with deadly results. the chattahoochee crested at 30 feet, 15 feet above flood stage. nearly 1,000 families lost their homes to flooding they never expected to see in their lifetimes. others found their businesses submerged. because most aren't in floodplains, they don't have flood insurance.

9:00:02 to 9:00:24( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: many have lostverything they own during already tough economic times. in addition to homes and businesses, the rising waters destroyed roadways, swept away bridges, tainted drinking water and damaged sewer systems. it will take months, if not years, to repair the damage. even more heart wrenching is the

9:00:25 to 9:00:45( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: fact that nine georgians and one resident of alabama across the state line perished in the rushing waters. when all is said and done, more than 20 inches of rain fell on georgia, breaking 130-year-old record at atlanta's hartsfield-jackson international airport. more than 30,000 people were without power in the metro

9:00:46 to 9:01:07( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: atlanta area. the red cross sheltered hundreds rendered homeless by the floods. the worst situations often bring out the best in people. local first responders and emergency personnel worked tirelessly to protect lives and property and to rescue those trapped by the waters. their bravery and sacrifice is exemplary.

9:01:08 to 9:01:28( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: also the georgia emergency management agency worked around the clock to facilitate requests for assistance. the federal emergency management agency worked closely with the state to anticipate and respond tomergency needs. and countless volunteers gave time and energy to ensure that evacuees were sheltered,

9:01:29 to 9:01:51( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: clothed, fed and kph-frbted. they -- and comforted. they all have georgians and my personal, deepest, most heartfelt gratitude. i'd to the family of those who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihood to. that end, senator isakson and i

9:01:52 to 9:02:13( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: have introduced s. res. 286 expressing condolences to those affected and appreciation to emergency responders and others who helped them. and i would urge my colleagues to support that resolution tonight. on september 21, governor is purdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties. i understand president obama called governor purdue tuesday

9:02:14 to 9:02:35( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: night to discuss the needs of georgians and assured the governor that his request for federal aid would receive prompt attention. and to that end, today we received notif of the 17 affected counties have been declared disaster areas by president obama, and i am certain that the others, when the processing is completed,

9:02:36 to 9:02:57( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: will likewise be named, be declared disaster counties. tomorrow vice president biden will accompany senator isakson and myself to georgia to take a firsthand look at what's going on. mr. president, we're literally under water, georgia and other parts of the southeast need the assistance of the federal government in this case as well as the state government.

9:02:58 to 9:03:18( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: and to that end, we're seeing the response in a very appropriate mr. president, i also rise today to speak in opposition to attorney general holder's decision to reexamine the judgment by career prosecutors at the department of justice and

9:03:19 to 9:03:39( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: initiate a preliminary review to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against c.i.a. officers who conducted interrogations against hardened al qaeda terrorists. at the outset let me remind everyone that president obama promised the american people that he would look forward rather than backward and would not seek a criminal

9:03:40 to 9:04:02( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: investigation for individuals involved in the c.i.a.'s interrogation and detention program. not withstanding this promise, he has allowed the attorney general, a member of his cabinet who answers to him, to rehash old ground despite the fact that career prosecutors already have examined the same information and declined to prosecute the

9:04:03 to 9:04:26( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: same individuals for the same actions. by allowing this decision to stand, president obama is failing to exercise his duty as chief executive a enforcer of the law. given that there are no new facts to justify this action by the attorney general, the president should demand that the legal conclusions previously reached by career prosecutors be upheld.

9:04:27 to 9:04:48( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: just last week seven former c.i.a. directors encompassing all living former c.i.a. directors from both political parties except the two presently serving in the obama administration, current director panetta and secretary of defense gates, wrote in a letter to president oma that the decision to reexamine these cases -- and i quote -- "creates

9:04:49 to 9:05:12( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: an atmosphere of ctinuous jeopardy for those whose cases the department of justice had previously declined to prosecute." no facts have changed since then. no new facts have arisen. and in light of the previous refusal of the department of justice to prosecute all but one

9:05:13 to 9:05:34( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: c.i.a. kphraoe, the c.i.a. -- employee, the c.i.a. has taken -plt. where is the justice for these ployees who have been at the front lines in the war on terror since the 9/11 attacks and who acted under the legal guidance given to them. if they punishment more than once for their actions. what is the message that we are sending to our intelligence community?

9:05:35 to 9:05:55( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: reopening these cases is exactly the type of action which creates risk averse intelligence agencies and officers. if an intelligence officer involved in a clandestine operation today worries that he may be prosecuted for it tomorrow, he is not going to think twice about conducting the operation.

9:05:56 to 9:06:17( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: he simply won't do it. worse yet, if an intelligence officer involved in a clandestine operation today worries that he may be prosecuted for it tomorrow because of random policy changes, it will evoke an even greater subjective risk-averse environment. creating such an environment where intelligence activities

9:06:18 to 9:06:39( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: today are held hostage to the political decisions of tomorrow is a recipe for failure for our intelligence clection efforts. as a member of the senate skhrebgt committee on intelligence -- select committee on intelligence, i understand the important role that intelligence plays in our military, law enforcement, and intelligence operations. i see firsthand the bravery and

9:06:40 to 9:07:00( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: professionalism exhibited by our intelligence community cadre. partisanship plays no role in their daily operations. they are guided not by which political party may obtain their vote on a particular day in november, but sense of duty to their country. they understand that they do not

9:07:01 to 9:07:23( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: make policy. yet, they are out there risking their lives to gather the intelligence necessary for policy-makers to make an informed decision. similarly, play no role in the decisions of the administration or congress when it comes to intelligence gathering. i do not want our intelligence community professionals to have

9:07:24 to 9:07:45( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: to think twice about whether or not to gather certain information that would inform me of foreign policy investments because they fear potential prosecution at a later dat for doing so. these men and women need to know that they have the freedom to do their jobs within the guidance that is given to them at the time. even though that guidance or

9:07:46 to 9:08:07( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: policy may change dn the road. they need to know that the country they are serving has their back. sadly, that is not the message that we are sending. never before has a change in policy brought the threat of potential prosecution for past sanctioned actions. some may ask why the attorney

9:08:08 to 9:08:28( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: general's decision is so harmful to our national security. and the answer is simple. without calculated risk-taking on the part of our intelligence community, we will lose the fight against not only our state adversaries, but against terrorists as well. this is not a trade-off i am willing to take. it is not a trade-off that the

9:08:29 to 9:08:49( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: president should be willing to make either, particularly as we continue to fight in afghanistan. we need to look no farther than the events of the past week, the arrests here on american soil of three individuals with admitted ties to al qaeda who may have been planning attacks against the u.s. homeland to understand

9:08:50 to 9:09:11( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: at the threats to our country are real and that this trade-off which the administration has sanctioned is a lot closer to hitting home. finally, i would point out that the same report, the c.i.a. inspector general's report entitled "counterterrorism, detention, and interrogation activities, september 2001 to

9:09:12 to 9:09:32( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: october 2003" that attorney general holder claims was his reason for reopening this investigation was the same report that prompted the c.i.a. to self-report to the department of justice in the first place. long before the i.g. even started his review, the c.i.a. informed the department of justice that they had

9:09:33 to 9:09:53( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: recommended an i.g. investigation related to the interrogation program. once the report was completed, the department of justice received it and carefully reviewed the facts and circumstances described within it. only after doing so did career attorneys decline to prosecute. unfortunately, press reports

9:09:54 to 9:10:16( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: from this past weekend indicate that the attorney general never even bothered to read the declination memos prepared by these career public servants. in recent months the administration declassified and released to the public this i.g. report as well as the legal guidance from the department of justice. the record is there for the

9:10:17 to 9:10:37( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: american people to review for themselves. i have reviewed all of this information, and am confident thatnyone else who does so will reach the same conclusion i have, namely, that reopening an investigation is not merited. further, it is worth noting that the i.g. report found that --

9:10:38 to 9:10:58( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: and i quote -- "the agency's detention and interrogation of terrorists has provided intelligence that has enabled apprehension of other terrorists and warned of terrorist plots planned for the united states and around the world." close quote. where deviations from the approved procedures and guidance

9:10:59 to 9:11:19( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: occurred, it was an anomaly and was either administratively punished by the c.i.a. leadership. the issues at the heart of the attorney general's decision have been examined thoroughly, and it is time for them to be laid to rest. president obama and the attorney general should put an end to their unjustified second-guessing of career

9:11:20 to 9:11:40( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: prosecutors. i cannot imagine that they would be willing to expose their own policy decisions and legal determinations to future politically motivated prosecutions. yet, by doing so with their actions against the c.i.a. employees, they are setting a dangerous precedent which i

9:11:41 to 9:11:45( Edit History Discussion )

Saxby Chambliss: believe will have a lasting chilling effect on our intelligence cmunity and our national security.