Kent Conrad: “I say to my colleague that it is a curious conclusion to suggest that adding more resources to the intelligence…”

“I say to my colleague that it is a curious conclusion to suggest that adding more resources to the intelligence community for the purpose of bringing to justice Osama bin Laden is a slap in the face to the intelligence community. It is no slap in the face to the intelligence community. If anything, it is a vote of confidence in the intelligence community. We owe the country this debate and this discussion. I believed when we went to Iraq we were making a mistake. I said on the floor of the Senate right before that vote that I thought we were diverting our attention from those who attacked us. It was al-Qaida, led by Osama bin Laden, not Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein. The simple fact is we have not brought them to justice. The Senator wonders, what does it mean to bring to justice? We all know what it means to bring someone to justice. Osama bin Laden deserves to be brought to justice. There is no one in this Chamber who doesn't know what that means. The Senator says this amendment is irresponsible. I think it would be irresponsible not to have this amendment. The Senator indicated that he asked us to be further briefed yesterday. We did that. There is not one thing I heard in that room that doesn't tell me that what we are seeking to do here is not the right thing, the responsible thing. We cannot talk about those briefings, and we will not talk about them. Finally, I say to my colleague, this is not political with me. I don't need a political amendment.…”