Bill Frist

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I wish to speak on leader time. Shortly, we will be voting on two amendments, one offered by Senators Levin and Reid, and the other proposed by Senator Warner and myself. Our amendment, the Republican amendment, shows leadership, signals our commitment, and reflects an exit strategy we call victory. As Chairman Warner just said a few moments ago, there are many similarities between the two amendments which reflect a lot of broad agreement that we have on the war, the progress to date, and the way ahead. Notwithstanding the Democrats' political carping of the last several days, and really the last several weeks, these two amendments that we will be voting on are forward-looking. They don't get into the issues that were debated and decided a long time ago in the last election. They are forward-looking. They don't try to rewrite history of how Members voted, why they voted, or what they supposedly meant at the time they voted when they spoke in support of the war. There is a lot being made in the media about the requirement of a quarterly report, an update on the war's progress, allegations that this in some way shows dissatisfaction with the administration. That is absurd. It is ridiculous. The fact is that Congress, this body, is charged with oversight of the executive branch regardless of which party is in power at the time. This amendment is a continuation of that oversight. It is not a change in policy. It is a continuation of that oversight that we have been conducting for years in the Senate. That includes whether we are looking at prewar intelligence issues or investigating the Abu Ghraib prison abuses or inquiring about the pace of reconstruction efforts in Iraq. The Senate has been doing this for years. We are already getting much of the information from the administration, largely at the urging of the Republican leadership. There is a huge, important difference between the two amendments we will be voting on. That main difference between these amendments is that the Democrats' amendment requires a timeline, a plan for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Some have referred to this as the cut-and-run provision; that is, pick an arbitrary timeline and get out of Iraq regardless of what is happening on the ground, regardless of the security situation, regardless of the political developments occurring in Iraq. We believe that is dangerous. We believe that is irresponsible. It is irresponsible to tell the terrorists, who we know are waiting to take us out, what that timeline is because the timeline, once exposed, simply says: All we have to do is wait and then we attack. Then we swoop in to overwhelm Iraq's fledgling democracy, once those troops depart, turning Iraq into a safe haven and base of operations to export terrorism abroad. That is why cut-and-run is the wrong policy. Such a scenario would play very nicely into the plans that we know al-Qaida has. The recently intercepted letter between Zawahiri and Zarqawi laid out what that terrorists' strategy is, to force the United States out of Iraq and use the media and public opinion against us, to turn Iraq into a safe haven, and from there launch their twisted vision of establishing a radical caliphate throughout the Middle East. They laid it out. A cut- and-run strategy plays right into their hands. That is why telling the enemy our plans is irresponsible and dangerous. That is why the votes on these amendments in a few moments are so important. It is dangerous for our troops in the region, for our Nation, and for the American people. Democrats want an exit strategy, thinking cut-and-run. What we are for is a victory strategy. The President of the United States has laid that strategy out clearly in four steps: First, defeat the insurgency using military force while helping Iraq build its own security capability; second, help Iraq rebuild its infrastructure and supporting economy to promote growth and prosperity and hope; third, promote democracy in its institutions through a political process that culminates in an elected government that respects and represents the views of all Iraqis; and fourth, integrate that new Iraq into the international community of civilized nations. Four steps, that is the victory strategy. We have already seen great progress by the Iraqis on each of these issues. As the President has said, U.S. forces will not stay one day longer than necessary. Our troops will step aside as Iraqi forces stand up. Publishing a timeline for our retreat will encourage the terrorists. It will confuse the Iraqi people. It will play into the hands of the Zawahiri and Zarqawi letter. It will discourage our troops, and it sends all the wrong signals to friends and foes alike in this country and, indeed, around the world. My colleague from Connecticut, Senator Lieberman, made many of these points a few moments ago and again last night when he so eloquently announced his strong support for the Warner amendment. Yes, 2006 will be a transition year for Iraq. We can celebrate that. With elections in 6 weeks, 2006 will be the year a permanent democratically elected government will finally take power, 31 months after the fall of Saddam Hussein. This government will be guided by its recently approved constitution. On October 15, 10.5 million people came out to ratify that constitution. The government will represent the views and the backgrounds and the beliefs and deeds of all peace-loving Iraqis. That is progress. With Iraqi security forces now numbering 200,000, and their experience and leadership growing every day, I believe we can continue handing our security responsibilities over to Iraqi forces. I also believe that given the professionalism and courage of our Armed Forces, the commitment of the Iraqi people, and the support of the American people, we can achieve the vision. The vision is crystal clear. It is a free, democratic, and prosperous Iraq that is governed by the rule of law, that protects the rights of all Iraqis, that is not a threat to its neighbors, and is a responsible international citizen. Mr. President, the Republican amendment is not a change in policy. It is not a change in tone as has been suggested on the floor. Our amendment reflects where this body has always been, supportive of the President and supportive of our troops overseas, forward-looking and optimistic, always conscious of the oversight responsibilities of this institution and our obligation as Senators to the American people. Indeed, I urge all of my colleagues to oppose the Levin amendment and to support the Frist-Warner amendment. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Today we will be returning to the Defense authorization bill. I think this is our sixth day on the bill. We spent 5 or 6 days on it several months ago. Under the consent agreement from last Thursday, we will debate the final amendments to the Defense authorization bill today and then tomorrow morning we will have a series of votes on the remaining amendments, concluding with a vote on final passage of that bill. Those amendments include two amendments relating to our policies in Iraq and second-degree amendments to the Graham amendments on the status of detainees. We will start those votes at about 10:45 tomorrow morning, and therefore we will finish the Defense authorization bill prior to our normal recess that we take on Tuesdays for our respective policy lunches. I also want to remind my colleagues that at 4:30 today, we will begin an hour of debate on the Energy and Water appropriations conference report. This will be our sixth conference report. We have done Homeland Security, Interior, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, and then Foreign Operations. This will be No. 6 as we continue to bring these bills across the floor one by one. We will have a vote at about 5:30 today, after an hour of debate on Energy and Water appropriations. In addition to those two matters, we have a whole host of other important issues to address prior to adjourning for Thanksgiving. The most common question I get is on the schedule and what time we will be getting out for Thanksgiving and, of course, the holidays in December as well. In the short term, this week we may consider tax reconciliation under the statutory time limitation as provided by the Budget Act. The Budget Act provides for up to 20 hours of debate on that bill, and therefore we could have late nights during this week in order to finish that tax bill. We have five remaining appropriations conference reports, and we will consider them over the course of the week as they become available. We have Defense, Labor-HHS, MILCON, the Transportation-HUD bill, and DC appropriations. As I mentioned, we will finish the Energy and Water conference report today, and we are ready to lock in a short time agreement on the Commerce, Justice, and Science conference report, which is now at the desk. Following that one--today we will do six--we will have done seven of the appropriations conference reports. I expect the remainder to become available over the course of the week. As they become available, we will set aside time and have, hopefully, very tight time agreements and deal with them accordingly. In addition to the DOD authorization bill and the conference reports, we have other things to address this week. On the conference report on the PATRIOT Act, which is expected this week, there has been a lot of work done over the course of the last 2 weeks and over the course of the weekend. We will complete that prior to our Thanksgiving time away as well. Another item that we have worked on a lot over the last 5 or 6 weeks that will be back on the floor is pension legislation. We are very close to an agreement on that. We will be able to do that before Thanksgiving, as well, if we continue to make the progress that we have made over the last 2 weeks. We are hoping to reach a unanimous consent agreement that would allow the Senate to proceed on that pensions bill in a reasonable period of time. I keep stressing reasonable period of time, keeping time requirements down, because in order to accomplish all of this, it is going to take a lot of organization, efficiency, understanding, and tolerance on the part of all of our colleagues as we go through. Finally, I mention our continued efforts on the Executive Calendar, as well as a number of other legislative items that will be in wrapup. We will consider those nominations and clear legislation each day this week as they become available, a lot of work over a very short period of time. That gets us through this week. Then people ask, what about next week? Until we see the pacing over the next several days, it is going to be impossible for me to really know exactly when we are going to be out. But I remain hopeful that we can work through the issues that I just mentioned and finish this week. The next question: When does this week end? Does it end Friday afternoon, Saturday, or Sunday? I cannot answer that yet until we get a little bit further. There is a chance we could do all of that by late Friday afternoon. However, if it becomes necessary to stay longer, either into the weekend on Saturday or into next week, then we will certainly do just that. Senators are going to have to remain flexible with their schedules beyond Friday. I do want to at least throw out that a weekend schedule would be possible because I know a lot of people have things scheduled. So please keep your calendars flexible. In December, I can also say the following just for planning purposes, and that is that we will not be in for votes in December before Monday, December 12. I will not know until later this week, Saturday night or maybe Monday night of next week exactly what the plans will be for the week beginning December 12. So again I ask our colleagues to keep their schedule flexible in case we have no choice but to return sometime during that week. What I have just said is going to stir the pot with lots of questions coming forward, but that is about as much as I know right now. I will share the information on schedule with colleagues as soon as it becomes apparent to me based on how much work we get done today, tomorrow, the next day, and over the course of this week. On another issue, but related to the bill that we are returning to shortly, we are resuming consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2006, day No. 6, and we will complete that bill tomorrow. I do want to thank Senator Warner for his steady leadership. Under the guidance of our chairman, we have been able to proceed in a very orderly and smooth manner on a very important bill. Last month, I sent a request to the minority leader asking for his agreement to keep amendments limited to issues that are important to our military personnel and armed services and that are within the jurisdiction of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Fortunately, we were able to reach agreement and do just that. I do want to thank our colleagues for their patience and cooperation in allowing us to move forward on a bill that is central to America's national security.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, these are momentous and historic times for America. In just 4 years, we have toppled two of the most brutal regimes in human history and liberated 50 million people from tyranny. Afghanistan and Iraq are now governed by the consent of the people under constitutions that have been ratified by the popular vote. Many people simply would not have believed that just several years ago. Next month, on December 15, the Iraqi people will vote to form a permanent government. On that day, they will show, once more, their tremendous courage, boldness, and fortitude in moving their country toward full democracy and independence. While the news media focuses on the terrorist activity and the terrorist insurgency, by any standard of history, Iraq and Afghanistan are making remarkable progress. Only 4 years ago, Saddam Hussein and the Taliban seemed like permanent, malignant fixtures in the Middle East, but today Saddam sits in prison on trial for his life, and the Taliban no longer rules the Afghani people. Meanwhile, progress is cropping up all over the region. Again, the news media simply does not cover it, and we always hear excuses why that might be the case. But if one just looks back, they will see that Egypt has just held its freest elections in history. I had the opportunity to be in Lebanon about a month after this, in April. But this spring, on March 14, the Lebanese people rose up in a remarkable protest that was indeed televised throughout the world. We all saw it. After 30 years of occupation, Syria was forced to withdraw. Libya has given up its weapons of mass destruction program and is now cooperating with international inspectors. Kuwait has granted full political rights to women, and democracy is slowly beginning to take root in Saudi Arabia. All of this has been made possible by the bravery, valor, and strength of our men and women in uniform. They deserve our deepest respect, gratitude, and our unwavering commitment to the success of their mission. These young people heard the call of duty and they went to the frontlines to defend America. Every day, at risk to their own lives, our soldiers are helping the Iraqis secure a democratic future. They are training Iraqi forces to defend and protect the Iraqi people, and real progress is being made. The Iraqis are getting stronger and they are getting more skilled at the dangerous work of facing down the terrorist enemy. In the recent Tal Afar operation, Iraqi forces outnumbered coalition forces for the first time in a major engagement. Eleven Iraqi combat battalions were independently employed in Tal Afar, twice the number than in Fallujah operations this year. That is progress. Currently, 116 Iraqi security forces are conducting operations, and Iraqi civilians are gaining confidence handling the matters there and in providing tips and information to help defeat the insurgents in the region. Meanwhile, Iraq continues to build and improve its infrastructure. Again, you don't see it on the nightly news or on the 24-hour coverage. Since the liberation, coalition forces have helped complete over 4,000 reconstruction projects, including 3,400 public schools, 304 water projects, 257 fire and police stations, and 149 health facilities. Under Saddam, Iraq's infrastructure was in shambles. Citizens were not allowed free access to the media or to communicate freely with one another. Saddam maintained his iron grip by keeping his people fearful and totally cut off from the outside world. But now that has changed. Slowly but surely, under the democratic leadership, Iraq is emerging as a modern country. Internet subscribers have risen from 5,000 to 196,000. It is opening up. Light is shining into the country and to the people of Iraq. Now over 4.5 million Iraqis have telephone service, and that is a fourfold increase to what it was before the war. Under Saddam there was nothing such as that. There was no independent media. Today, Iraq has more than 100 newspapers and magazines. There are over 40 commercial television stations broadcasting to an eager Iraqi public. They are hearing and seeing things for the first times in their lives. We hear the critics hurtle invective and level false charges against the administration. That is disappointing. We know some are, indeed, trying to rewrite history. We hear it on the Senate floor and we see it on the television news shows. This rewriting of history is wrong. It shows, to my mind, very little respect for the very things--the freedom, the democracy, the transparency, letting the light shine in-- the sort of things our men and women are fighting for overseas. At the same time that we hear this invective and these false charges, brave men and women--American and, as I just mentioned, Iraqi coalition forces, and Afghanis--are working hard to promote democracy and freedom in the heart of the Middle East. We salute them. Governments that were once sworn enemies of the United States are now sworn enemies of the terrorists they once harbored and people who feared their government are now active participants in its transformation. It is huge progress. The Defense authorization bill before us provides our soldiers with the resources and the training, the technology, equipment, and the authorities they need to win this global war on terror. From cutting- edge technologies to personnel protection systems, the authorization bill keeps our military system strong so our men and women in uniform can keep America safe. I look forward to passage of the Defense authorization bill tomorrow. The Senate has no higher duty than to protect and defend our fellow citizens. I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that at 4:30 p.m. Monday, November 14, the Senate proceed to the conference report to accompany H.R. 2419, the Energy and Water appropriations bill, with 1 hour of debate allocated as follows: 30 minutes equally divided between the bill managers, 15 minutes under the control of Senator McCain, and 15 minutes under the control of Senator Coburn. I further ask consent that following the use or yielding back of time the Senate proceed to a vote on adoption of the conference report, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. As in executive session, I ask unanimous consent the injunction of secrecy be removed from the following treaty transmitted to the Senate on November 10, 2005, by the President of the United States: Protocol Amending the Convention with Sweden on Taxes on Income (Treaty Document 109-8). I further ask that the treaty be considered as having been read a first time; that it be referred with accompanying papers to the Committee on Foreign Relations in order to be printed; and that the President's message be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the concurrent resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 310 submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 9 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment which is at the desk be agreed to, the resolution, as amended, be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment that is at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the title amendment be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statement relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Con. Res. 10.

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee substitute be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 278, S. 1699.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that during the adjournment of the Senate, the majority leader and the junior Senator from Virginia be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, today, following the 1 hour for morning business, we will resume work on the Department of Defense authorization bill. Under the agreement reached last night, we have two rollcall votes to begin at 11:30 this morning. The first vote is on Senator Talent's amendment relating to C-17s, and the second vote is in relation to the Dorgan amendment on a special committee. Yesterday, we made good progress on the bill, and we will finish the bill today. In addition to a couple amendments already pending, there are only a few remaining amendments in order to be offered. Senators should be prepared to offer those amendments this morning. I hope we can finish this bill at a reasonable time today. I encourage the two managers to move forward with the bill if Senators do not show up to offer their amendments. We must finish the Defense bill today, along with three appropriations conference reports that are now at the desk. I do not expect a great deal of debate on those conference reports, but we will need to schedule rollcall votes on each. Having said that, we will have a full day of voting to finish our work, but with the cooperation of Senators, we can complete our work at a reasonable time today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, yesterday the world received the sobering news that a series of three explosions struck Jordan's capital city of Amman. At least 57 innocent civilians were killed in the immediate blast, and well over 100 were wounded. In an apparently coordinated attack, terrorists targeted three large hotels that are frequented by Americans. Indeed, when I traveled to Jordan, I stayed at one of those hotels, as many in this body have in the past. One of the blasts occurred during a wedding party of over 300 guests. We have seen over the course of the night and the morning those pictures displayed on television. On behalf of the Senate and the American people, I express my heartfelt condolences to the victims, their families, and the Jordanian people. I condemn in no uncertain terms the perpetrators of this grievous attack. It is an attack on all free peoples. It is an attack on civilization. Together, we will help the Government of Jordan, if requested, to hunt down the criminals responsible for this egregious event and bring them to justice. Throughout the global war on terrorism, Jordan has been our steadfast partner, a reliable partner of our country. King Abdullah has bravely spoken against Islamic terrorism and extremism in the Arab world. Under his leadership, Jordan has demonstrated their commitment to peace, stability, and moderation. Yesterday's violence against the Jordanian people is another reminder of the indiscriminate brutality and vicious nature of the terrorist enemy. My Senate colleagues and I renew our call on the international community to redouble its efforts to defeat the terrorists and dismantle their networks. Defeating terrorism is the duty of all civilized nations. It is the challenge of our age. The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Jordan during this difficult time. We share their grief and their determination to bring the killers to justice. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the only remaining first-degree amendments to the Defense bill, other than any further managers' amendments that are cleared, be an amendment offered by the majority leader or his designee on Iraq, and an amendment offered by the Democratic leader or his designee on Iraq, and that they be laid down this evening with no second degrees in order. I further ask unanimous consent that there be 3 second degrees in order to the Graham amendment, two offered by Senator Levin or his designee, and one offered by Senator Graham. I further ask consent that all amendments be offered and debated on Monday, under the previous limitations, and that on Tuesday, at a time determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to a vote in relation to the majority amendment on Iraq, to be followed by a vote in relation to the Democratic amendment, to be followed by votes in relation to the second degree amendments in order offered, to be followed by a vote on the underlying Graham amendment, as amended; and that following these votes the bill be read a third time and the Senate proceed to a vote on passage of the bill, with no intervening action or debate; finally, that there be 30 minutes equally divided between the two managers prior to the start of the votes.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, just for the information of our colleagues, there will be 30 minutes equally divided between the two managers prior to the start of the votes.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 305, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 309 which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.

Mr. FRIST

Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Senate immediately proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on today's Executive Calendar: Calendar Nos. 399, 435, and 438; provided further that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of the nomination of Susan Schwab, PN 1032, and the Senate proceed to its consideration; provided further that the Committee on Agriculture be discharged from further consideration of the following nominations: James Andrew, PN 802; Charles Christopherson, PN 839. I further ask unanimous consent the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then return to legislative session.