Ted Stevens

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, it is my understanding that Senator Rockefeller has an amendment and a statement. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Rockefeller.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 448 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, 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 to the resolution be printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Is there not an order to lay down the Defense bill now?

Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator yield for a moment?

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. What is the pending business?

Mr. STEVENS. May I ask what the Senator from Virginia intended to do?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, will the Senator yield to me? I wish to make an inquiry of the Chair.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, what is the order? Is the order that we go to the judge nomination at 4:30?

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask the Senator--I don't know how long she intends to speak; I don't even need to ask--when she is finished, will she put in a quorum call if it is before 4:30, please?

Mr. STEVENS. I thank the Chair.

Mr. STEVENS. I might say to my friend from Virginia, when we left this bill, the understanding was Senator Kennedy's amendment would come first. We will be happy to have the Senator offer his amendment with the understanding it will come up after the amendment of Senator Kennedy, if that will be agreeable to Senator Kennedy?

Mr. STEVENS. Is Senator Kennedy's amendment the pending amendment?

Mr. STEVENS. I yield the floor to have the Senator propose his amendment and then Senator Allen propose his amendment and we will come back to his amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. If the Senator will yield without losing his right to the floor?

Mr. STEVENS. It is our intention to suggest to the Senator from Hawaii, when he arrives, that we accept this amendment of the Senator from Virginia, but we don't accept amendments without bipartisan approval so I would appreciate it if the Senator will discuss his amendment after Senator Kennedy has discussed his and we will await an opportunity to discuss it with the Senator from Hawaii.

Mr. STEVENS. I made arrangements to put a copy of the report on every Senator's desk by tomorrow morning.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have the floor, for just a second, if I may. I would urge Senator Durbin, if he will, to join us. Again, it is a matter of expediting our bill. I know he has an amendment, too. But I believe the numbers are the same and the intent is the same, and we should all cosponsor it, as far as I am concerned. I yield the floor.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, the Senator from Virginia will offer his amendment, so I will not take much time now. I will respond to the Senator from Massachusetts. I have just returned from being present when the President of the United States made a tremendous statement about the situation in Iraq and the world in terms of the war on terror. My view of the situation is much different from the Senator from Massachusetts. I read this report that is before the Senate now as being an up-to-date analysis of the situation that exists now. I sometimes wonder what would have happened in Korea if, after some of the major losses in Korea, the Senate had decided we ought to ask the Truman administration to make more reports, produce more reports, require analysis of what was going on, and have hearings. We are about in the same situation. This report does conclude--that is why I think everyone should read it--the concerns over civil war that are expressed. It says that notwithstanding this concern, there is generally no agreed-upon definition of civil war among academics or defense analysts. Moreover, the conflict in Iraq does not meet the stringent international legal standards for civil war. That is a situation of the statement that exists now. To require another set of reports when we get these every quarter is unwarranted. This was released September 1. We will get another one the first of January. We do not have to have an amendment to do this. However, as we discussed, it may be possible to take this amendment to conference and work it out so we get some ideas. If they want additional information in the next report, we can arrange that; however, it does not have to be a conflict. It does not have to have as much political rhetoric, I say to my friend from Massachusetts. I am a little bit tired of political rhetoric concerning this conflict, which is a global conflict against terror. It is more than the war against Iraq, against Saddam Hussein. There is no question about that. I urge the Senator to read the President's speech today, the quotes he has given to us from the President of Iran, from the people involved with Hezbollah, from the people involved in the various dissident factions throughout the world that are demanding we surrender to them, that we kneel down before them and accept defeat. This Senator is not ready for that kind of rhetoric to come to this Senate. I hope it does not.

Mr. STEVENS. I am happy to do that, yes.

Mr. STEVENS. I still have the floor.

Mr. STEVENS. I will be glad to debate the Senator any time. Again, I urge the Senator to read the President's statement before he criticizes it. The President has made a very significant statement today of where we are. He will make another statement tomorrow. I have looked at the report. Every Senator should look at it. We should decide whether there is a deficiency. If there is, we will be glad to take the amendment to conference and try to work out some language that will not be political rhetoric. I sense it is political rhetoric, I say to my friend from Massachusetts. I hope it does not get that far. It is still a war against terror. Our job ought to be to get this bill passed so we can get the money to these people for sure by October 1. The longer this bill is delayed, the more trouble our people in uniform are going to have. I have been arguing that now for a month. There is no question this bill has to be signed by September 30. I am not going to prolong this by debating politics in the Senate. I will say we will do our best to take as many amendments as we can to conference and try to work out something that will meet with the agreement of the Congress as a whole so we can get this bill signed. I yield the floor. We have an agreement that the Senator will be able to propose his amendment.

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I would ask the Senator to allow me to become a cosponsor. I hope the Senator from Illinois will, also. We had a little disagreement before about funding in this area, but I have no disagreement with the necessity for funds, particularly after a report we received just this August on the nature and extent of these matters. I think this money is needed. So I would be willing--and I think the Senator from Hawaii will have no objection to this--I would be pleased to----

Mr. STEVENS. If the Senator will yield for a question?

Mr. STEVENS

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have a transmittal letter dated September 5, 2006 printed in the Record.