Now that the President has signed the Military Commissions Act into law, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed must be prosecuted for his involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Some have recommended Khalid Sheikh Mohammed be prosecuted after lesser, but equally dangerous terrorists are prosecuted, presumably so the new tribunal system can be tested. I strongly disagree with this approach.

The Military Commissions Act was created by legal professionals in the Administration, House and Senate and provides a structurally solid prosecutorial system. It is time Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is brought to justice.

I joined my colleague and fellow moderate Blanche Lincoln in Nebraska yesterday where we discussed the difference between governing and politicking. Working together to strengthen our country is good governing. And we can’t achieve good government as long as we’re preoccupied with politics.

Blanche pointed out the many lost opportunities to govern in recent years and emphasized our responsibility in Washington to move forward. I share her vision of teamwork, and it’s been an honor and pleasure to work with her to reach across aisles to get things done.

Both Blanche and I are proud supporters of renewable fuels development and have both served as chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. I look forward to working with her and my other colleagues on the upcoming 2007 Farm Bill. I am optimistic that as we approach this and many other important pieces of legislation, our colleagues will also recognize the difference between governing and politicking. Only then can we end the right vs left tug-of-war and begin funneling our energy into moving America forward.

Yesterday, I sent a letter to James Baker, former Secretary of State and Co-Chair of the Iraq Study Group, asking him to release the Study Group's initial recommendations on the Iraq War. Secretary Baker has repeatedly stated that the Iraq Study Group would not provide an independent assessment on the situation in Iraq until after the November midterm elections. But judging from his recent interviews, it appears that the Iraq Study Group has made some initial judgments that would be a departure from the Administration's failed policies.

Given the critical need to change course on Iraq, I am urging the Study Group to release its recommendations as soon as possible without any consideration to the political calendar. Imagine if you had a son or daughter in Iraq right now and knew that a change of course would have to wait due to politics while your child is a target in a hellish situation.

This year has seen the rapid escalation of death, suffering, and sectarian violence in Iraq that could easily devolve into a full scale civil war. Already this month, 70 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. It is clear that the Administration's continued insistence to "stay the course" with its failed policies is not a viable solution.

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By passing the “Older Americans Act

This legislation ensures the President will be able to continue the terrorist interrogation program that has saved innocent American lives and prevented attacks here at home and around the world. By passing this bipartisan legislation, the Congress recognized, as the President does, that we are a nation at war against extremists who want to kill our citizens, cripple our economy and discredit the principles we hold dear - freedom and democracy.

The military commissions system codified in this legislation protects our troops and protects classified information. And most important, it protects America. It is a critical component of our national security effort.

I know firsthand the complexities of the issues surrounding border security and immigration reform.  That is why I am saddened by the simplistic and sometimes caustic rhetoric regarding immigrants and immigration reform which is too often articulated in an attempt to fuel anti-immigrant sentiment.  The majority of all immigrants coming to this great country do so because they want to work, improve their and their families' opportunities for success, and reunite with their families.

I have continually expressed my concern over high-level violence along the border with drug trafficking criminals.  What the Border Patrol needs is more agents and more resources.  That is why I have introduced my Rapid Response Border Protection Act, H.R. 4044, which would meet these needs by providing critical resources and support for the men and women who enforce our immigration, customs, and other border laws.  The Border Patrol is our first line of defense against dangerous incursions into our country.  We must also acknowledge that our Border Patrol agents and law enforcement officials do an incredible job along the border, despite facing tremendous challenges which include lack of personnel, equipment, resources, and other types of support from this Republican Administration and Congress.

That is why Republicans must do more than simply and opportunistically give lip service to securing the border.  Since 9-11, House Republicans have rejected 7 Democratic amendments that would have strengthened our borders by increasing personnel and funding for necessary security measures.  If Republicans had not defeated these Democratic efforts to enhance border security over the last four years, there would be 6,600 more Border Patrol agents, 14,000 more detention beds and 2,700 more immigration agents on the border. Time and time again, Republicans have voted against measures which would improve border security and border patrol agents. We have to give the Border Patrol what it needs to secure the border.

Investors won’t put their money into the market unless they believe that the economy is headed in the right direction. Gas prices have dropped, housing starts are up, and the unemployment rate continues to be historically low. Democrats would like you to believe that the economy is going in the tank, but the numbers say otherwise.

Republican economic policies have given the American taxpayer more money to spend and save, and they are investing it back into the economy, causing it to grow. If the Democrats had their way, they’d raise your taxes and take that money out of your pocket, causing the economy to stall. Who do you trust to best spend your money – the government or the taxpayer? I’ll take the taxpayer every time.

The War on Terrorism is both a war of ideas and a war of information. Keeping America safe requires an aggressive approach to gathering intelligence by capturing, detaining and interrogating members of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations around the globe. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 signed by the President today establishes a process to try captured terrorists for war crimes and sets clear parameters for C.I.A. interrogators, allowing them to continue their lifesaving work consistent with our international treaty obligations.

We must bring these dangerous people to justice and preserve our ability to continue collecting valuable intelligence. Military tribunals conducted under this new law will provide defendants with a fair trial, access to counsel and access to the evidence brought against them. At the same time, this legislation keeps vital intelligence out of the hands of terrorists.

It is important that the American people understand we face a determined enemy bent upon the destruction of our freedoms, our values and civilized life. Americans are different because we respect human life and the rule of law and believe liberty is a natural right of all mankind. Whatever rights we extend to the terrorists, we can be sure that they will not return the favor to our brave men and women actively engaged in the war on terror.

This President and the Republican lead Congress will continue to support legislation keeping America on the offense against terrorism so that we don’t suffer another devastating attack on American soil like we did on 9/11.

Yesterday, the President signed the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. This law authorizes $532.8 billion to fund our military. Most importantly, it provides $70 billion for the replacement of equipment that has been destroyed or rendered unusable in Iraq or Afghanistan and provides for a well deserved 2.2% pay raise for our men and women in uniform.

The funding in the FY2007 NDAA to replace equipment, however, is only intended to start the process and leaves many units still facing shortages. Unfortunately, this is one of the many consequences of the Administration's failing Iraq policy, which has placed our military in an untenable position.

I wish that funding was the only problem we had in Iraq. However, all the money in the world is not going to quell the spiraling violence we see there on a daily basis. Already this month, 70 U.S. trrops have lost their lives -- one of the deadliest months on record and we're merely halfway through. Our soldiers and Marines in Iraq face a country that is on the brink of civil war. Rather than starting to draw down our forces, as the Administration claimed would occur by the end of 2006, our military may have to send American forces back into areas that were supposed to have been fully turned over to Iraqi security forces. This is doing nothing to secure Iraq, let alone enable our military to also deter growing threats from North Korea and Iran.

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