National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006--Continued

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006--Continued

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Mr. DURBIN. I rise in strong support of this amendment, and I am honored to be an original cosponsor.

We owe this to our troops. Anyone who came to the Chamber and heard the speech given by Senator John McCain about an amendment which he offered to the Defense appropriations bill will understand it was a historic statement. Senator McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam and a person who was the victim of torture, said it was imperative that we make it clear to our troops what the standard of conduct would be.

What Senator Levin has done is to call together an inquiry as to whether we have violated this standard in the past and what the standard will be for the future. When we receive correspondence from our troops, who are risking their lives for America today, begging us to not only stand up for American values but to do it with clarity, we owe them that responsibility.

When the President announces in South America that we are opposed to torture while the Vice President is carving out exceptions for torture in legislation before Congress, there is no clarity.

Senator Levin and his leadership will bring us to clarity and to honesty, consistent with the American values which our troops are fighting to defend.

I yield the floor.

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