I can tell the Senator there were references in there to the case, but the Supreme Court has never ruled on the specific matter of law which the Senator continues to read. Until it rules, we will make the decision in this Department of…

I want the Senator to respond, but I want to ask point blank, is there an exclusion currently in the law for U.S. citizens under section 1031 and whether or not under 1031 American citizens can be detained indefinitely?

Well, what is the difference, then, with what the Senator is standing for and what is the current situation? From my point of view, our Presidents--President Bush and President Obama--since 9/11, have used both, with more success on the…

I want to reclaim the floor. I know Senator McCain is anxious for me to conclude and there is something he is anxious to do quickly, but I will try to do this in appropriate time for the gravity of the issue before us. But to suggest the…

I would respond by saying Justice O'Connor in that decision said: [A]s critical as the Government's interest may be in detaining those who actually pose an immediate threat to the national security of the United States during ongoing…

I am sorry but she did. The quote: . . . individuals who fought against the United States in Afghanistan as part of the Taliban.

She limits it to that case. If I could make one response and then I will give the floor to the Senator. This is clearly an important constitutional question and one where there is real disagreement among the Members on the floor. I think…

I would say there was some reservation in citing it. I say to the Senator, our difficulty and disagreement is the fact we are dealing with a specific individual captured on the field of battle in Afghanistan with the Taliban.

We are not talking about American citizens being arrested and detained within the United States and being held indefinitely without constitutional rights.

Mr. President, I want to take a few moments to thank a remarkable woman on my staff. Sylvia Gillespie, in my Springfield office, is retiring after 12 years. When you walk into that office in Springfield, Sylvia is the first person you see…

Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate a message from the House with respect to H.R. 394. The Chair laid before the Senate the following message: H.R. 394 Resolved, That the House agree to the amendment numbered 1 of the…

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…

In the particular case of Hamdi, captured in Afghanistan as part of the Taliban.

I thank my colleague from South Carolina. What the Senator concluded with, though, I think is critical to this conversation. He said the only way to get to the bottom of whether there is an al-Qaida connection that could threaten the…

Mr. President, let me say at the outset what an extraordinary job my colleague from California has done. There was a time in American history, before law schools, when people read the law and practiced the law. The Senator from California…

While many hours have been spent by this body debating the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, far too little time has been devoted to the United States' growing dependence on private military contractors: the weapon-carrying, for-profit…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. First Year in the Senate

Mr. President, last week we celebrated Thanksgiving, the time of year when we look back and we give thanks for our blessings. We are all grateful for our family, our men and women in uniform, and those who also defend our Nation in…