Yes. But as you came on and reviewed what was there, you saw some problems, and one, I take it, is very important, though not particularly sensational, but it sounds like there were 11 fiefdoms, not one uniformly administered national…

one of the ideas under active consideration, as you well know, is to take the Federal Protective Service from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where it is now, and move it into the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) of…

When I came here, I made an analogy that we were a ship and it takes 38 miles at sea to turn an aircraft carrier. I think we are probably on mile six, but we certainly initiated the turn.

Thanks for your partnership in this.

this has to not only be your urgent responsibility to change a status quo which is unacceptable, and you acknowledge it is unacceptable, but that there has to be involvement from the highest levels of the Department.

I think this is urgent enough that you should provide that to this Committee within the next couple of weeks.

that is about the broadest indictment of an agency of the Federal Government that I have heard and it is not pleasant to hear it.

the reality here is, and you said it yourself, this is an unacceptable situation.

Do the private security companies have a contractual obligation to certify their employees?

So right now, effectively, no one is really doing it as comprehensively as it should be done?

I think Senator Voinovich mentioned that perhaps starting from scratch was the way to go about it.

I don't think they have the constitutional rights that we associate with American citizenship.

the unique circumstances of this war on terrorism against the people who attacked us on September 11 may have led us down, including the Supreme Court, some roads that are not only to me ultimately unjust, but inconsistent with the long…

Why would you, in light of all that, say that the administration prefers to bring these people before Article III Federal courts instead of military commissions?

I think the committee has made the right judgment in saying that the right of appeal from the military commissions should be to the CAAF and that there shouldn't be an appeal to the Circuit Court for the District.

I agree that we hold ourselves to very high standards, sometimes standards that are so high that they are unrealistic and in some sense self-destructive in the context of the war we're in.

Why would anyone prefer to try people apprehended for violations of the law of war in an Article III Federal court?

I think, based on what you've just said, essentially the effect of it is to give these war criminals... the greater legal protections of the Federal courts.

I agree with you that what we've provided for in this legislation of this committee is well within the Geneva Conventions.

These crimes matter very much to the U.S. Government, that every hate crime victim should be protected.

I just want to indicate for the press here that Senator Collins has not pulled off a coup.

We have to get to work, my friends on this Committee, Senator Collins and the other Members of the Committee.

We are grateful to you for welcoming our Children's Congress delegates to these rooms over the years.

I want to thank our Chairman, who has been such a wonderful advocate.

Senator Lautenberg, on behalf of the recognition of the impact of diabetes.