Wilson Offers Motion to ReCommit to Allow Monitoring of Terrorist Communications
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson released the following statement today:
“Since the announcement of a surge, I have been skeptical that it could succeed. I recommended a different course of action to the President and his advisors.
“My skepticism was justified. The Iraqi government has demonstrated no sense of urgency to pursue reconciliation between Shiites and Sunnis. On June 6, 2007, I urged President Bush to pursue new intensive diplomatic efforts among the groups in Iraq to produce a working relationship. We cannot do for the Iraqis what they will not do for themselves, but we can bring the various factions to the table in a way we haven’t tried yet.
“We need to focus on securing America’s vital interests in Iraq. I believe those interests include making sure Iraq does not become a safe haven for Al Qaeda and preventing Iraq from becoming a source of instability in the region.
“Today’s resolution sets a near-term date for troop withdrawal without refocusing our policy in the Middle East based on realistic assessments of what can be achieved and a clear consensus on our vital national interests.
“The contentiousness and posturing we have seen on this resolution and those that preceded it preclude the kind of rational engagement that our country needs. We must soberly assess our national interests, develop broader consensus on strategies that are sustainable over the long term to protect those interests, and set ourselves on a path to pursue those strategies.
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Motion to Recommit
“I offered a motion to recommit today that addresses a critical problem. It would allow our intelligence agencies to monitor terrorist communications without a warrant when they are not in the United States.
“The FISA law has been kept frozen in time in 1978 while our enemies are using 21st century communications to plot to kill Americans.
“Members of the House Intelligence Committee, and Democrats and Republicans in leadership, know that the FISA law is not working. We are holding our fingers in our ears and covering our eyes with our hands.
“This spring, in unclassified session in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Admiral Mike McConnell, Director of National Intelligence, urged the Congress to modernize this law. He told us and the world, ‘We are actually missing a significant portion of what we should be getting.’
“This issue is more important than any other that we face. We are endangering our country by failing to act when it is our responsibility to do so.
“I pray to God that we never have to have another 9/11 Commission after another national tragedy like the one this nation endured almost six years ago. If we do, those commissioners will be wondering at our failure today to fix this law – to let America spy on terrorists who are not in the United States without a warrant. The blame will rest here, in this House, for our failure to act.
“We cannot continue to block the ears of our intelligence agencies while our enemies use the communications systems we built to plot to kill us.”
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