Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. I, too, want to thank the chairman, Mr. McKeon. We always say that our committee is the most bipartisan committee in Congress. We strongly believe that. Republicans and Democrats on that committee are committed to doing our job, which is to provide for the troops and make sure that our national security is protected in this country. Mr. McKeon was an excellent partner to work with. It's a model for what happens when you sit down and try to legislate together, and something that I think could be emulated by many more committees and on many more issues. So, thank you, Buck. It's been great working with you on this. I think we've produced a good product. I want to, upfront, address the issue that most people have focused on in the rule and elsewhere, and that is the issue surrounding detainee policy. I have never seen an issue that was more distorted in terms of what people have said is in the bill versus what is actually in the bill. Number one, habeas corpus is protected, not touched in this bill. Pursuant to court rulings, anyone picked up pursuant to the authorization for the use of military force, has habeas corpus rights. That is not touched categorically. Now I understand that a lot of people have a problem with what is current law, and current law is something we've been debating ever since 9/11. Both the Bush administration and the Obama administration have taken the position that indefinite detention is an option.…”