Devastating To Whom

On Tuesday, President Bush signed into law legislation that authorizes military tribunals to bring to justice dangerous terrorist suspects including al Qaeda operative and alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 creates a new judicial system to prosecute terrorists, while preserving the ability of American troops and intelligence agents to operate effectively against a new enemy on a new battlefield. This new law represents an important milestone in giving our nation’s Armed Forces and intelligence community the tools they need to keep our communities safe and to fight and win the War on Terror. It will also ensure that suspected terrorists – including those who plotted the 9/11 attacks – can finally be brought to justice. The House approved this legislation last month despite the 162 Democrats who voted against the measure. Why did the minority party put politics ahead of our national security and vote to kill this legislation? According to Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Democrats find this legislation “pretty devastating.”

When you put the sensational sound-bites aside and take a look at what the law actually does, it’s clear that for Americans there is nothing “devastating” about the Military Commissions Act. The law creates a military commissions system that conforms to the Geneva Conventions, and allows suspected terrorists to be brought to justice. It lists 28 specific crimes for which terrorists can be tried, including murder, attacking civilians or civilian property, and taking hostages. What is so “devastating” about bringing dangerous terrorist suspects to justice? The Military Commissions Act follows rules and procedures from previous military commissions, international tribunals, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice to ensure that accused terrorists can mount a full and fair defense. At the same time, it protects American troops and intelligence agents by ensuring that their identities will not be shared with suspected terrorists as part of a trial. What’s so “devastating” about protecting American troops on the battlefield by preventing sensitive classified evidence from falling into the hands of terrorists?

The Military Commissions Act also provides a clear definition of accepted interrogation methods so that our troops have better guidance and can be better protected from civil lawsuits brought by terrorists. What’s so “devastating” about providing American military and civilian personnel with clear guidelines about how they may extract critical intelligence from terrorist suspects? Contrary to what the critics have said, the Military Commissions Act conforms to our nation’s obligations to international treaties and all applicable U.S. laws, including laws banning torture and cruel and inhumane treatment of terrorists. So, I ask again, what is so “devastating” about providing the President with another common sense tool for waging and winning the war against terrorism? The only people who should find this law devastating are the terrorists.

Fancy Phrase for Tax Hike

The latest reports on the U.S. economy continue to provide welcome news to the American people. Wages are up, falling gasoline prices are fueling a stronger economy, and this week the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached 12,000 for the first time. But the strong economy won’t continue if taxes are raised on working families. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), the Democrats’ point man on tax policy, has said there is “no question” that if given the chance his party will raise taxes, and that he “cannot think of one” of President Bush’s first-term tax cuts that merit renewal.

Saying they won’t renew even one of President Bush’s tax cuts is really just a fancy way of saying they’re going to raise your taxes. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury, unless the tax cuts are made permanent a family of four with two children and an annual income of approximately $50,000 will see its tax bill increase $2,092 a year. And the 26 million small business owners in this country will see their taxes increase on an average of $3,637 a year. No matter how fancy it’s phrased, without permanent tax relief millions of Americans will see their taxes go up by billions of dollars in 2011.