National Defense Authorizaton Act for Fiscal Year 2007--Continued

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007--Continued -- (Senate - June 20, 2006)

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Mr. McCONNELL. Will the Senator from Virginia yield for a question?

Mr. WARNER. I am happy to yield the floor, if the Senator so desires.

Mr. McCONNELL. If the Senator will yield for a question, I say to my friend from Virginia: Is the Senator from Kentucky correct that the genesis of the Nelson amendment is a newspaper story quoting a lower level Government official, since dismissed by the Iraqi Government for suggesting that forces who may have killed American or Iraqi troops would be given amnesty? Is it not correct, I ask my friend from Virginia, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, that that lower level official has since been dismissed from the Iraqi Government?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, he was fired.

Mr. McCONNELL. He was fired. Is it not the case, I ask my friend, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, that the National Security Adviser, Steve Hadley, if you will, of the Iraqi Government, stated shortly thereafter what the policy of the Iraqi Government was?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, the Senator is exactly correct.

Mr. McCONNELL. Is the Senator from Kentucky not correct that the policy of the Iraqi Government is not to do exactly what we have been having this discussion about on the Senate floor for lo these several days?

Mr. WARNER. That is correct. Based on my discussions with Senator Nelson, he in good faith read those reports and felt very strongly, as I think many of us do, about the issue of amnesty and came forward with that amendment. Then, we purposely delayed final action on these two amendments last week, such that in the intervening time there would be further clarification. I do believe there has been some further clarification of this matter. I can address that in the context of a communication from the Department of State, I say to my good friend from Kentucky. I was able to obtain this information, which hopefully will be forthcoming momentarily, stating just that: The Iraqi Government understands precisely what the situation is, that an error was made and they have put in place I think adequate corrections.

Mr. McCONNELL. So I ask one final question of my friend from Virginia. Since the Nelson amendment basically addresses a nonexistent problem and the McConnell amendment simply asserts what we already know to be the policy of the Iraqi Government, that it would likely be a good idea for the Senate to go on record as supporting both of these amendments at this juncture?

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I think, certainly in my judgment, that would be an acceptable situation because there is clarity in the amendment of the Senator from Kentucky about a point that is very important to me; i.e, sovereignty, exercise of that. With no disrespect to the Senator from Florida, I believed his amendment as originally drafted, and the intent, was to reach across the ocean and have the U.S.A. reach into the Government and try to dictate what was to be done. So I believe the Senator is correct in that, and I join him in that suggestion to our colleagues.

Mr. NELSON of Florida. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, is the Senator yielding the floor?

Mr. WARNER. Yes, of course.

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. VOINOVICH). The Senator from Kentucky.

Mr. McCONNELL. Let me add, briefly, as I hear the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee, at this juncture the appropriate thing for the Senate to do would be to vote for both of these amendments. It has been made perfectly clear, by statements by the National Security Adviser of the new Iraqi Government, that it is not the policy of the Iraqi Government to grant amnesty to those who killed American soldiers.

I hope we can move past this reaction to some lower level Iraqi official, since fired from the Iraqi Government, over his ill-advised and basically untrue suggestions about what the policy of the Iraqi Government would be toward those who may have killed American soldiers.

I yield the floor.

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we now have an agreement for a couple of votes in the morning relative to the minimum wage amendments which have been discussed this afternoon. Tomorrow we will also proceed to debate the Iraq-related amendments offered by Senator Levin and Senator Kerry.

Mr. President, at this point, on behalf of the leader, I am prepared to send a cloture motion to the desk, but I do want to make the following point before sending the cloture motion to the desk. This does not--I repeat, does not--preclude us from working toward further agreement to set up votes on these amendments prior to cloture. In fact, we anticipate having votes on both of those amendments prior to cloture. We are looking forward to the debate on both amendments.

Almost everyone on this side is interested in speaking to the appropriateness of adopting those amendments, and, as I said, we do not intend for cloture to shut out in any way votes on the Kerry and Levin amendments.

CLOTURE MOTION

Having said that, Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.

The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

Cloture Motion

We the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on S. 2766, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007.
Bill Frist, John Warner, John E. Sununu, Jim Bunning, George Allen, Lamar Alexander, Craig Thomas, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Chuck Hagel, Ted Stevens,
Judd Gregg, Robert F. Bennett, Thad Cochran, Pat Roberts, Pete Domenici, Jim Inhofe, Jeff Sessions.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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