Kirk Watson

Today our troops abroad have very few choices when they turn on their radios. If they are looking for political talk on the Armed Forces Network, all they get is the conservative spin machine from Rush Limbaugh. That was all supposed to…

During a recent radio broadcast, conservative critic William Bennett said the following: ``If you wanted to reduce crime, you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.'' But Mr. Bennett's hypothesis…

I want to come and join with hundreds of people who yesterday had the exciting experience of being in Hollywood on the Walk of Fame for a famous jazz and blues singer, Linda Hopkins, who received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame…

We must protect what we can never get back. We are not only protecting wildlife, but we are defending our citizens as well. The stringent regulations in the Endangered Species Act have benefited many species in our great country. Our…

I am dismayed that the amendment I wished to offer to this bill has been ruled out of order by the Committee on Rules. By refusing to permit this amendment to even be debated, the House Republican leadership is dismissing the concerns of…

Yesterday House Republicans convened their partisan investigation into what went wrong in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It is clear Republicans want to fix all blame on the back of former FEMA director Michael Brown. Republicans were…

This weekend, Cindy Sheehan and hundreds of thousands of opponents of the war in Iraq marched here in Washington, D.C. The massive outpouring of public demonstration against the war is reflected in national polls showing America's growing…

We got word today that there will be a bipartisan, bicameral investigation into what went wrong in the Federal Government's response to Hurricane Katrina. This is welcome news. A full investigation will help us understand, in detail, how…

Yes, New Orleans is worth saving and rebuilding. It is one of the most American cities, for it represents how diversity comes together in harmony and blends into our music, our foods, our culture, and our Americanism. Response to this…

2 years ago, President Bush told the American people, if there were a leak out of my administration, I would want to know who it is. That was 2 years ago. It clearly was not a top priority, because if the President really wanted an answer…

Today, a grand jury continues to investigate into the leaking of an undercover agent's identity. Thank goodness a grand jury is taking this case seriously, since it does not appear that either the White House or House Republicans are…

Today Karl Rove continues to walk around the White House with the highest of security clearances. What does that say to our covert CIA agents risking their lives around the world? When Karl Rove became a top level White House employee, he…

There is no way that a deputy chief of staff in the White House to even mention the name of Ambassador Wilson, not naming his wife would not know, because she is the one that sent him over there to Niger. {time} 1600 So how did Robert…

I want to very briefly take this to another level. And it is about truth and trust. I, as a former ambassador representing the United States of America, was trained in the State Department as to confidentialities and secret missions that…

Karl Rove needs to stop hiding behind his attorney and be straightforward with the American people about his involvement in the Valerie Plame scandal. Whether or not Karl Rove is the only administration official who leaked information to…

When Karl Rove's attorney finally admitted to the Washington Post yesterday that Rove told a reporter Joseph Wilson's wife was a CIA agent, he was indeed identifying her. It does not take too much investigative reporting beyond that to…

Washington Republicans cannot have it both ways on Social Security. Since the beginning of this year, President Bush and House Republicans have been telling everyone who will listen that Social Security is going broke. President Bush went…

I had two amendments that I was going to offer on the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, and they have to do with restricting funding for opening a new office that would monitor dissenting and ideological statements. Mr. Chairman, today I…

Last week the Iraqi Bureau Chief for Newsweek Magazine left Iraq after being there for 2 years and wrote one final report entitled ``Good Intentions Gone Bad.'' Rod Nordland said the turning point in the war was the Abu Ghraib scandal…

We have spent over $200 billion so far on the war in Iraq. According to the Congressional Budget Office, by 2010, our expenses might be as much as $600 billion. The two hundred billion dollars we have spent so far would be enough money to…

How much does the majority leader underestimate the American people? For 6 months now the House Ethics Committee has been unable to meet because the Ethics Committee chairman refuses to abide by the committee's own rules. And now, this…

Today, we may find out whether President Bush and his Congressional colleagues want to turn the Senate into a second House of Representatives, a rubber stamp for a right wing agenda and radical judges. President Bush wants to pack the…

The Republican Congress and Republican President are overcome with power, so much so that they want to fundamentally change our Nation's government into one where a single political party in power holds total control. And how do the…

I would hope the Members would support my amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson). The amendment was agreed…

H.R. 504, a bill to rename a post office located in Los Angeles, California, the Ray Charles Post Office, is a small act to commemorate one of the true giants of the 20th century in popular music. Ray Charles is both a national treasure…