Energy Policy Act of 2005--Continued
ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005--Continued
REMARKS ON GUANTANAMO BAY
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, more than most people, a Senator lives by his words. Words are the coin of the realm in our profession. Occasionally, words will fail us. Occasionally, we will fail words.
On June 14, I took the floor of the Senate to speak about genuine, heartfelt concerns about the treatment of prisoners and detainees at Guantanamo and other places. I raised legitimate concerns that others have raised, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, about the policies of this administration and whether they truly do serve our needs to make America safer and more secure; whether, in fact, some of the policies might, in fact, endanger our troops or in some way disparage the image of America around the world.
During the course of that presentation, I read an e-mail from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that was discovered to exist last August and has now been produced as part of a Freedom of Information Act. After reading the horrible details in that memo, which characterized the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo, I then, on my own--my own words--made some characterizations about that memo. I made reference to the Nazis, to the Soviets, and other repressive regimes.
Mr. President, I have come to understand that was a very poor choice of words. Last Friday, I tried to make this very clear, that I understood that those analogies to the Nazis and Soviets and others were poorly chosen. I issued a release which I thought made my intentions and my innermost feelings as clear as I possibly could. Let me read to you what I said in that release last Friday:
I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: Our soldiers around the world and their families deserve our respect, admiration and total support.
It is very clear that even though I thought I had said something that clarified the situation, to many people it was still unclear. I am sorry if anything I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time. Nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy.
I am also sorry if anything I said in any way cast a negative light on our fine men and women in the military. I went to Iraq a few months ago with Senator Harry Reid and a delegation, a bipartisan delegation; the Presiding Officer was part of it. When you look in the eyes of the soldiers, you see your son or your daughter. They are the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them. Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line. To them, I extend my heartfelt apologies.
There is usually a quote from Abraham Lincoln that you can turn to in moments such as this. Maybe this is the right one. Lincoln said: If the end brings me out right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, 10,000 angels swearing I was right wouldn't make any difference.
In the end, I don't want anything in my public career to detract from my love for this country, my respect for those who serve it, and this great Senate.
I offer my apologies to those who are offended by my words. I promise you that I will continue to speak out on the issues that I believe are important to the people of Illinois and to the Nation.
I yield the floor.
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