September 27, 2006

Mr. Speaker, I rise to defend American values.

The Military Commissions Act (H.R. 6166) continues Republicans’ despotic assault on the Constitution. It denies detainees held abroad the fundamental right of habeas corpus, which has for centuries protected against unjust government imprisonment. It limits protections against detainee mistreatment, sanctioning “alternative procedures” of interrogation that amount to cruel and unusual punishment. It denies people the opportunity to confront the evidence used against them – even if that evidence is obtained through coercive and inhumane practices. It strips our courts of the jurisdiction to review cases – including those already pending – concerning detainee abuse.

Some call this legislation a “compromise.” I call it a capitulation.No sooner had the ink dried on this deal than the Bush Administration declared that the CIA's program of secret detention and interrogation could and would continue. That should come as no surprise. Though this bill does not explicitly redefine our obligations under the Geneva Conventions, it permits the President to “interpret the meaning and application” of our historic commitment to the international community – and theirs to us.

Make no mistake, our disregard for international law imperils the safety and security of our men and women in uniform. Our denial of due process to detainees invites foreign states and organizations to indefinitely imprison and interrogate our soldiers. Our insistence on defining detainees as “enemy combatants” undeserving of legal protections encourages our adversaries to deny these very same protections to American prisoners. Provided, of course, we haven’t already done so ourselves: this legislation allows the government to declare not only foreigners, but also U.S. citizens, “enemy combatants” and arrest and hold them indefinitely.

This legislation further confirms what that Republicans in Congress are no more interested in fundamental human rights than is President Bush and his administration. I urge my colleagues to vote no.