http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=286575&Reid: President Should Heed Own Advice, Refocus Resources On Combating Terrorism
Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in response to President Bush’s remarks this afternoon:
“We hope President Bush’s comments today about pursuing Osama bin Laden and combating terrorism indicate he is finally ready to join Democrats in addressing the very real threats we face around the world. It is precisely because of President Bush’s flawed strategy in Iraq that those threats have escalated, and it is because of the Administration’s mismanagement of the war that we stand unready for the next attack. Far from keeping Osama bin Laden on the run, President Bush has distracted us from tracking down a resurgent Al Qaeda.
“Just as we will not give the President a blank check for his directionless war, we refuse to rubberstamp his nominee for Attorney General. The Senate fully intends to fulfill its constitutional duty and demand clarity from this nominee on the illegality of a technique the United States has previously prosecuted as torture. Ambiguity on this question endangers our soldiers abroad and is counterproductive to winning the war on terror.”