This week as America reflects on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the White House and Congress are also working to ensure that the captured 9/11 and other Al Qaeda suspected terrorists receive justice without compromising national security.  Some, including liberal Democrat Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, are accusing the Bush Administration of denying constitutional rights to terrorists.  These charges are misguided.

Last week, President Bush told the nation that 14 high profile suspected terrorists have been transferred from the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency – where they have been interrogated for some time now – to the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The president’s decision is to allow for these suspected Al Qaeda terrorists to finally be tried before a U.S. military court.

Until now, the 14, which include Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Abu Zubaydah and Ramzi Bin Al Shibh, have been held by the CIA for questioning in the on-going effort to unravel the Al Qaeda network.  The United States is currently at war with Al Qaeda and its global ring of terrorists and captured suspected members of this terror group are being treated as enemy combatants.

The president has defended the country’s right to hold these suspected terrorists as necessary to save American lives while we continue to fight the global war on terror.  Indeed, information gathered from the 14 already has proven invaluable in our efforts to keep the nation safe from future attacks. 

For example, Abu Zubaydah revealed that Al Qaeda had been planning another attack inside the U.S.  This information led to the detention of several additional Al Qaeda operatives.  Zubaydah also led the U.S. to capture fellow inmate Al Shibh, who was involved in the plotting of 9/11.  For his part, Khalid Sheik Mohammed gave up information that eventually led to the identification of another terror cell, Jamal Islamia, and the revelation of plots to kill innocent Americans as well as Al Qaeda’s attempts to secure biological weapons.

Make no mistake, the information gathered from these and other terror suspects has proven invaluable in identifying other terrorists and also understanding their capabilities and methods of operations.  All this information is used to make America safer from future attacks. The right to be able to question suspected terrorists is absolutely essential if our nation is to prevail against a fanatical enemy bent on our destruction.

Last week, President Bush also announced that he would ask Congress for legislative authority to create military commissions to try these and other suspected terrorists for war crimes.  The legislative authority would not only ensure that the commissions are created to protect our national security and also provide a fair trial for the accused, but it would also protect the nation’s ability to question key terrorist leaders and operatives. 

Furthermore, this legislative authority is necessary to preserve the ability of our warfighters to operate effectively on the battlefield.  Otherwise, our troops could become involved in a legal entanglement that would prevent them from pursuing terrorists in the first place; this must not be allowed to happen.

The U.S. House has already held hearings on the matter and legislation is expected to be voted on in the House before month’s end.  Clearly, we must keep the ability to interrogate terrorists when they are captured.   The information gained will continue to save American lives.