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“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
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Pelosi: 'At Long Last, the House has Gone on Record Opposing Torture'
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement tonight supporting a motion to instruct conferees on the Department of Defense Appropriations bill. The motion prohibiting torture was offered by Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) and is identical to an amendment by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that passed the Senate overwhelmingly in October. The House passed the Murtha motion tonight by a vote of 308 to 122. Below is Pelosi’s statement:
"Tonight at long last, because of Congressman John Murtha’s leadership and persistence, the House finally went on record in favor of clear procedures for dealing with prisoners and against torture.
"Our troops were sent to war in Iraq without many of the essentials needed for their effectiveness and their safety, including a standard of conduct for the treatment of detainees. We have seen, to our great shame and regret, the consequences of this lack of clarity. At Abu Ghraib and elsewhere in Iraq, at Guantanamo, and in Afghanistan, allegations and evidence of detainee abuse have damaged the standing of the United States in the world.
"The United States has long been bound by international agreements prohibiting torture. That we even find it necessary to make the prohibition against torture more explicit is the result of the Bush Administration’s legal interpretation that these long-standing prohibitions apply only to persons on U.S. soil.
"Torture should not be employed as an interrogation technique by the United States for two simple reasons: it doesn’t work and it is wrong. We can not rely on information obtained through torture, and even if we could, the cost is too high.
"The values that define our country---- the values that our men and women in uniform are called upon to defend sometimes at the cost of their lives --- are antithetical to the use of torture. The American people are much better than that.
"Our struggle with the forces of international terrorism is as much a battle of ideas as a battle of arms. We weaken ourselves when we compromise our ideals. Standing against torture helps define the differences between the United States and those who offer no message other than hatred and violence."
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
