Appointment of Conferees on H.R. 1815, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006

APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 1815, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 -- (House of Representatives - December 15, 2005)

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Mr. SPRATT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Skelton motion to instruct. Two years ago, the image of the United States was tarnished by photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. The photographs drew condemnation from members of Congress, the American people, and the world. At a time when we were professing American values, these photographs told a story of secrecy and disgusting abuse.

That's why the Washington Post's revelations about the CIA's clandestine detention facilities last month are so troubling. We all understand the difficult job our interrogators have in trying to pry useful intelligence from tough, hostile prisoners. We all believe that the vast majority of our interrogators perform their jobs admirably and within the rules, and the information they have obtained has served as the intelligence foundation of our War on Terror. But at a time when the wounds of Abu Ghraib have still not fully healed, fresh allegations of secrecy and questions about interrogation have the potential to reopen old issues of abuse that we have struggled for months to put to rest.

The President has said that ``we do not torture'' prisoners, and I take him at his word, but we have the right to ask for answers about clandestine facilities supplied, of course, in classified form.

The Skelton motion to instruct simply calls on the President to disclose to the Congress the nature, cost, location and operations of the detention facilities referenced by the Post, and the ultimate disposition of the detainees that are held there. This would in no way hinder the effectiveness of interrogations, but it would go a long way toward showing the world we are serious about preventing prisoner abuse. As Senator McCain so eloquently said, ``We are Americans. We hold ourselves to humane standards of treatment of people, no matter how evil or terrible they may be ..... The enemy we fight has no respect for human life or human rights. They don't deserve our sympathy. But this isn't about who they are; this is about who we are. These are the values that distinguish us from our enemies.'' I urge my colleagues to support the Skelton motion to instruct. All it seeks is information to which we are already entitled under Title 50 of the U.S. Code, and information we need to fulfill our duties under Article I, Clause 8 of the Constitution.

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