Political Quotes

“on November 13, 2001, President Bush issued a military order authorizing the use of military commissions to prosecute individuals who may be engaged in activities related to the subject of our campaign against terrorism. The initial public reaction to the White House action was one of surprise and skepticism: Surprise that the order was issued without any advance notice, and skepticism as to whether the decision is based on sound legal or policy grounds. Many commentators also raised legitimate concerns that the Administration's use of military tribunals could potentially undermine our long-held foreign policy of criticizing other nations' reliance on such tribunals. My reaction, which, I believe, was echoed by many of my colleagues in Congress, was one of disappointment, in addition to the surprise and skepticism. I was disappointed that Congress was excluded from deliberating a policy as important as this one before the White House announced the order.”