Mrs. TAUSCHER:  Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear: I believe there is a special place in hell reserved for the planners and perpetrators of 9/11. But 5 years after 9/11, we have yet to try and hold one single terrorist accountable. And sadly, today we have before us a bill that, if passed in its current form, will do nothing but put us in further legal limbo, further delaying punishment for these terrorists.

            We need clear legislation and swift, tough and fair justice to be sure that we don’t observe another anniversary without these terrorists being punished.

            How do we go about that? Well, I can tell you that we don’t do it by passing this bill. We need a bill that is not going to be turned over by the Supreme Court, a bill that is clear about our commitment in the United States to Common Article 3 and the kind of rule of law and the law of war that will be sure that these perpetrators of 9/11 and others meet justice and do it quickly.

            Right now, we have before us a bill that the Republicans pretty much negotiated among themselves that allows the President to redefine torture when and how he sees fit, and will put our armed services at risk for abuse if they are ever captured while doing little to obtain the intelligence we need from captured terrorists.

            That is why so many retired generals, JAG officers and senior military experts oppose the President’s plan and say very clearly that we must not go down this road that will put our troops in danger. The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Shalikashvili and over 40 former military officers and Pentagon officials wrote recently that the Geneva Conventions are currently the only source of legal protection for many of our troops deployed in harm’s way throughout the world.

            That is why my amendment that was not approved by the Rules Committee is an important opportunity to get this right. We do have to do this now. It is important to do it now. But we cannot rush to judgment and get it wrong again.

Keep in mind the President's original plan has not given us the ability to prosecute anyone because they got it wrong. And because they blew it, and are about to blow it again, we are still not going to be able to bring the 9/11 perpetrators to justice, which is what we want to do.  

            Ladies and gentlemen, please support a “no” vote on the previous question so we can amend this bill, do the right thing, and  get a bill that we can bring to the President to sign soon