Political Quotes

“The only answer I can give to Senator McCain is that there is a legitimate concern about encroaching on executive power. I have that concern. The executive branch is the lead agency in this war. They are the lead agency when it comes to prosecuting crime. But what I am trying to do, along with his help and that of Senator Levin, is to create statutory authority for this President and future Presidents that will serve the Nation well. Congress has been too quiet and too silent. During the Bush years, we did not assert ourselves enough. We let things go. We were reluctant to get involved. Now we are involved in a constructive way. What we have said as a Congress, if this bill passes, is that the executive branch has flexibility, but the Congress of the United States--which has powers when it comes to war--believes that an al- Qaida operative, those associated with al-Qaida, should be initially held in military custody because we are trying to gather intelligence. As I tried to explain, if you turn them over to civilian authorities for law enforcement purposes, then the whole process of intelligence gathering stops. You have to read Miranda rights. There is a very limited public safety exception. We allow a waiver if that is in the best interests of our national security. We have requirements in the bill not to impede interrogation.…”