Congressman Trent Franks Discusses the War on Terror, Democrats, and Republicans

Congressman Trent Franks Discusses the War on Terror, Democrats, and Republicans

Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) spoke this morning on C-SPAN with the Washington Journal's Paul Orgel. They discussed the debate surrounding H.R. 6054, the "Military Commissions Act of 2006", in which Franks is a co-sponsor. Congressman Franks is also a Member of two of the Committees in which the bill is being considered, the House Committees on Armed Services and Judiciary. Franks emphasized the crucial differences between Democrats and Republicans concerning the war on terror. The following quotes were made by Franks during the interview:

"If you think about it, there are only about three or four ways to gain intelligence. We can do it by electronic surveillance, we do it by following the money, as it were, we do it by hearsay, or we do it by interrogating detainees. Unfortunately, I know it's an election year, but unfortunately it seems like liberal Democrats are unwilling to do any of those things. Other than throwing powder puffs at terrorists, I don't know what their plan is to defeat terrorism in the world."

"Perhaps the pressure of the election will help some of the liberal Democrats come on board and help us because, again, I make no apologies for being a partisan Republican, but the reality is, this is something that is desperately important for the sake of the country and if it takes election year threats, as it were—politically—to bring Democrats to the table, and say ‘help us fight these monsters!' then so be it."

"In this country we're used to having the Constitutional rights afforded to us by the most magnificent government document in the history of human kind and yet the reality is—that does not apply to terrorists and we all need to understand that."

"We cannot pretend evil does not exist. Again, to bring in what might be considered some of the partisan circumstances, the fear I have is that somehow this moral neutrality will undermine our ability to fight terrorists. Recently one of the senior members of the Democratic caucus in our House of Representatives said to the effect 'I don't take sides for or against Hezbollah or for or against Israel.' When you can't distinguish between Hezbollah terrorists that murder innocent men, women, and children, and that blow themselves to pieces to murder others and when the mothers of these children that blow themselves up to kill others shout for joy, and when they take these prisoners and cut their heads off with a hacksaw blade while… the victim is screaming for mercy on the camera. If you can't separate that from nations trying to defend their citizens, I would suggest to you that kind of moral nonsense—that kind of moral neutrality—is more dangerous to us than terrorism itself. If we cannot distinguish between good and evil in this country, then we've lost the war."

"I would say that if other countries would interpret Geneva the way America does, it would be a better world."

http://www.house.gov/list/press/az02_franks/detaineeprogram.html