[House Record Page: H6843]

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, beginning tonight and for the rest of the evenings until we recess for our summer break, a number of us will be coming to the floor to read letters that have been written by ordinary Americans, letters that were sent to our districts and others in our States, letters and comments that were in response to an online petition by moveon.org which is a grassroots organization with more than 1.4 million members.

Here is the petition which moveon.org has online: ''Congress should support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.''

Over 320,000 people signed this online petition, and many of them wrote comments. In Illinois, 3,621 people wrote comments, and I have copies of those. I am going to read some of them.

All of the people who wrote comments are supporting H.R. 2625 which was introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) to establish an independent commission to investigate intelligence claims that were made to the public by the administration to justify a preemptive war against Iraq.

All of the ones I am going to read tonight were written by either people in the service or service related or veterans of U.S. wars. This is the first I will read.

''My wife is with Freeport's 333rd MP Company. She has been overseas since

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late April. She has been on active duty since February 9. She has not slept in her own bed next to her own husband in 4 months and 6 days. We still have no idea when this nightmare can be over for us. We understand a call to duty for our Nation. We truly do. However, she did not join the National Guard with an open-ended deployment and a war zone in mind. None of them did. We always thought the Guard was for short deployments and emergencies only. She tells me that morale with her soldiers is extremely low. There are short tempers, long days, fear, crying soldiers, and no idea when it can be over for them. That is the root of our anguish. These people have been uprooted from their lives and jobs, and they answered that call, yet no one can answer their most-asked question: When can I go home?

''The average soldier is not a stupid order taker. We have a highly intelligent military, and they realize what is going on back home with the controversy around the evidence of weapons of mass destruction. I cannot speak for other soldiers, but it disturbs my wife deeply to think that she could be over there risking her life and living a daily heartbreak based on distorted testimony.

[Time: 20:15]

It makes her feel like a pawn of political agenda, not an American doing good in the world. All of this together most certainly influences her ideas of retention. We need the truth, not someone's version of the truth, not some of the truth but all of the truth. And we need to know when we can be reunited to live our lives together.''

That is Ron Macek, Rockford, Illinois.

This is another letter:

''I am a veteran and a former intelligence analyst who spent 3 years in the Middle East peering over Saddam's shoulder. It is always disturbing when political leaders distort intelligence information to justify pet policies. It discredits intelligence agencies and the analysts who dedicate their time and lives to protecting America.

''Good intelligence analysts are sure to express multiple possibilities for unexplained events. They are also careful to delineate between what they know and what they think. It is a mistake to turn an assessment into policy. It is a shame that some analysts will tell the administration what they want to hear just to appease leaders. An investigation into this matter will prevent this from happening again.'' John Laesch, Bloomington, Illinois.

''I am a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. I have seen firsthand the price we pay when we commit blood and treasure into a foreign land. It is a terrible price that is never replaced. If there is the slightest suspicion that the war in Iraq was promoted under false pretenses, then we should know about it. Such an occurrence would be a terrible misuse of government resources and the American people's trust. I request that you support an independent commission to investigate the handling of this matter.'' Robert P. Harrison, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

''As a former Naval officer married to a retired Navy man and with a daughter currently serving in Qatar, I'm probably one of the last people you would normally see signing a petition of this nature. Nonetheless, here I am. I question this administration's motivations and feel that our Commander in Chief has a lack of respect and regard for those he has placed in harm's way in order to further a set of goals of his own. His taunt of 'bring it on' is unsettling on its own, but coupled with the increasing evidence that our involvement was ill-advised and based on purposely unsubstantiated or twisted evidence only serves to increase my belief that the administration has an agenda wholly divorced from our national best interests.'' Pamela Faulkner from Illinois. More tomorrow.

END

LETTERS FROM OHIO IN SUPPORT OF INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED DISTORTION OF EVIDENCE OF IRAQ'S WMD PROGRAMS -- (House of Representatives - July 15, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to be here and share the concerns in their own words from my constituents in northeast Ohio and other constituents around the rest of the great State of Ohio. As the gentlewoman from Illinois said, the previous speaker, this was a petition that was signed by literally tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Americans. I have with me tonight letters that accompanied the signing of the petitions, almost 3,000 letters just from Ohio, just one State, almost 3,000 letters alone. The petition said Congress should support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. There were hundreds of thousands of signatures and tens of thousands of letters. Let me share some of them from Ohio.

Reverend William Trego of West Jefferson, Ohio said:

''It is shameful that a Nation with the brilliant legacy of the United States would stand before the leaders of the world and present a case supported with distorted and at times outright false information. We were sold a bill of goods.''

From Wadsworth, Ohio, Michael Kovack:

''As a mobilized reservist for Operation Iraqi Freedom, I implore you to create a committee to examine the basis for sending us into harm's way. We must ascertain how this happened and, if error is found, never allow it to happen again.''

Tom Gentry Jr. of Akron, Ohio, in my district said:

''This is a scary time for our country. Never have we been in so much danger of violent attack from without and attacks on our liberty from within.''

From Strongsville, Ohio, David Koch said:

''From the very beginning, the allegations about Iraq sounded too convenient and very fishy. Now it is widely coming to light that the Bush administration grossly exaggerated and fabricated many claims. When I tried to warn people at the beginning, I took the heat from friends and family who shunned me as an idiot. It is time for the truth about the Iraq war to be made known to the American public.''

From Brecksville, Ohio, Aaron Clark wrote:

''The President used lies and half truths to convince the American people to go to war. This is serious and needs to be investigated without delay.''

There are hundreds and hundreds, in Ohio 2,500 letters just like this; in Illinois, the gentlewoman from Illinois mentioned more than twice that number; in California and across the country, literally tens of thousands of letters like this.

From Cincinnati, Ohio, on the other end of the State, Mark Light writes:

''As an elected Representative to your constituents, it is your obligation to back any efforts that will lead our Nation to the truth regarding such important matters. The citizens of this country have every right to know the truth when their lives and resources are at stake. Any actions other than total support of an investigation are essentially efforts to hide the truth from our citizens.''

George Hennigin from Akron, Ohio, in my district said:

''The philosopher Baruch Spinoza once wrote: It has been the one song of those who thirst after absolute power that the interest of the state requires that its affairs should be conducted in secret. But the more such arguments disguise themselves under the mask of public welfare, the more oppressive is the slavery to which they will lead. Better that the right counsels be known to the enemies than the evil secrets of tyrants should be concealed from the citizens. They who can treat secretly of the affairs of a nation have it absolutely under their authority; and as they plot against the enemy in time of war, so do they against the citizens in time of peace.''

Roberta Hunter from Columbus, Ohio said:

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''The truth has never hurt a democracy. Since there are so many unanswered questions, an investigation will not hurt. It will once and for all end the questions of Americans and of many people around the world.''

From Strongsville, Ohio, Sandy Fronius, a constituent of mine in northeast Ohio, writes:

''I am just a typical middle-aged, middle-class American, and I am deeply concerned about the possibility that the young men and women of our Armed Forces were sent into danger for no good reason. If we were lied to, I believe Mr. Bush should be relieved of his office.''

Jerry Lowe from Cincinnati:

''If you as my Congressman have nothing to hide, if the Republican Party has nothing to hide, if the Bush administration has nothing to hide, then I urge you to join the crusade for truth to which all public servants should subscribe. Your constituents are watching. Restore the faith of Ohioans and Americans in the dedication of our elected officials to seek the truth and serve our country with integrity.''

There are literally hundreds of more of these in Ohio, thousands, tens of thousands more of these around the country. I think people are very concerned and want to see Congress pay attention to what really happened.

END

IRAQ'S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION -- (House of Representatives - July 15, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight to talk about something that is truly scary, the President's credibility gap. The fact that Members of Congress, the American people, and our international allies can no longer trust the evidence President Bush uses to justify war is a terrible threat to his credibility and, therefore, to America's security.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will remind Members that it is not in order to question the credibility of the President.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Do not take my word for it. Listen to one of my constituents, Roy, from San Rafael. He writes:

I was one of those who, traumatized by 9/11, trusted our government to lead us down the right path based on indisputable evidence and sound judgment. I supported their decision to go to war. I deserve to know if I was duped.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that many people in this country are faced with a similar and terrible dilemma. Are they to believe whether or not the administration lied to them? Are they to believe that the White House is inept, that they based a decision to send young Americans to die on faulty information?

Another constituent of mine, William, from Sebastopol, wrote about what President Bush's untruths meant to him:

I love my country but I am not very proud of it right now. This administration must answer for their deception. Business as usual is not acceptable.

[Time: 20:30]

And Reede from Forest Knolls, California, sums up exactly why the White House must talk about these untruths and their unwillingness to come clean about them:

There is nothing more essential to democracy than information. The administration's calculated disinformation campaign about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is a direct attack upon our most cherished democratic values. Such flagrant contempt for the right of the people to control their government is unacceptable.

After September 11, Mr. Speaker, we all wanted to trust. We wanted to give our administration the benefit of the doubt. However, it is increasingly obvious that it is either not worthy of that trust, or it is simply not trustworthy. Either way, the administration must be held accountable for the untruths that came out of their mouths.

Don and Pam, two of my constituents from Santa Rosa, write,

One of the Bush administration's favorite words is accountability. But because of their obsession with secrecy and control, they have successfully avoided making themselves accountable. Reasons for going to war in Iraq and, beyond that, the Bush foreign policy, including preemptive strikes and unilateral action, demands accountability, accountability through thorough investigation.

Mr. Speaker, Americans want answers. They want answers from their administration, and they are getting the runaround.

My constituent, Patrick from Sebastopol, writes,

The administration's repeated use of the phrase, ''attempts to rewrite history'' is unbelievable. They are the ones attempting to rewrite history.

The simple fact is that the American people demand answers, and it is now up to Congress to get them.

Landis, from my own hometown, Petaluma, says it perfectly:

It is very important to be able to trust one's government. We don't always need to agree, but we do need to believe that our government is working in our best interests. Even if the current administration is able to fool many Americans, it is not fooling the world. Until an independent commission investigates possible manipulations of intelligence data, the world and, indeed, many Americans, will not be able to trust that the Bush administration is working in America's best interest.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for a meaningful investigation into the administration's statements. The people I work for in Marin and Sonoma Counties and Americans across the country are demanding an investigation, and Congress must carry it out. I am pleased to add my voice to those of my constituents and join the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) in his call for a bipartisan investigation into weapons of mass destruction.

END

AMERICA CALLS FOR THE TRUTH -- (House of Representatives - July 15, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to acknowledge the groundswell of support for an investigation into whether or not the Bush administration made its case for war against Iraq. As proof of the growing demand for honest answers from the Bush administration, we need look no further than the support around the country to create an independent commission to investigation whether the Bush administration manipulated and distorted evidence to take the country to war in Iraq.

Now, over 300,000 people have signed this petition and hundreds of thousands of people commented. Of course, I received thousands of letters from my own district, but tonight I would like to read into the RECORD just some of the over 24,000 comments received from outside of my district in the State of California.

The credibility of this administration in front of the American public and the world at large is our most precious commodity. We must know the truth as soon as possible.

This came from Arcadia, California.

I am writing to you as a concerned citizen of this country. I believe that we are heading down a very dangerous and destructive path that is being led by the Bush administration. This country is no more special than all of the countries in the world, and American citizens are just as important as Iraqi citizens. Our actions are not preventing hostility, but I believe it is creating more violence and anger towards America. It is the outrage that stems from within that compels me to write to you and ask you to look into this matter and not merely dismiss it as another policy move.

Again, Arcadia, California.

This one comes from Dublin, California.

As a member of a military family, I am deeply concerned any time a President chooses to send our Armed Forces into danger zones. I have been appalled by the growing evidence that the President may have lied about the reasons for invading and conquering Iraq and fear that many lives may have been lost because of deliberate falsehoods.

From Pleasanton, California:

The credibility of the United States is at

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stake. Our new preemptive war policy is incredibly dangerous and will result in many innocent lives lost until decisions for war are based on reality. Invading another country should be a very serious act. We did it. Our military performed well. But our President still needs to remain accountable to the United States citizens. Please ensure full disclosure is made on this matter.

By the way, this individual goes on to say, I am a Republican, but I still think that the Presidency must be accountable to people.

Another one from Pleasanton, California:

Leading America into its first war based on a preemptive strike doctrine and against strong international opposition was the most serious act President Bush has committed. Now there is serious doubt that his justification was honest. A democracy can only function if all of these suspicions can be examined and proven either correct or wrong. You can only keep America a democracy if you support the establishment of this commission.

Again, from Pleasanton, California:

Nothing could be less patriotic, more disregardful of the safety of our troops or more injurious to our national security than invading a country under false pretenses. If the Bush administration lied to us, we have a right, and a need, to know.

Pleasanton.

Here is one from Lodi, California:

Our involvement in Iraq has caused the region to become even more unstable. We owe it to ourselves and the world to investigate this matter and put every effort forth to unearth the truth. President Clinton was impeached for lying about sexual involvement with an aide. Evidence is coming to light that Bush and his administration have lied to the world and, to date, little is being done about it. I ask you, which infraction is more serious and warrants our time and money for investigation?

Again, Lodi, California.

Here is one from Tracy, California, Mr. Speaker:

The responsibility of sending young men and women into harm's way should not be taken lightly. It is to this end that I ask you to support a review of pre-war intelligence. I ask this as a former soldier and a member of the district of Tracy, California. I live on Central Avenue which runs through the downtown of Tracy and was lined with yellow banners embroidered with the names of our community's sons and daughters sent to fight in Iraq. You represent those men and woman, they wrote to their Member of Congress, and their families and, he said, you owe it to them and to us to investigate why exactly they are fighting this war. Yes, it is still a war.

Here is one from Thousand Oaks, California, in southern California:

Our country was taken to war with Iraq on the premise that we were under imminent threat by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Now, months later, after many deaths on both sides, we have yet to find any real evidence of these weapons that the administration had such ''hard evidence'' of. In order for the people's confidence in this administration to be restored, I am asking you to let us know the truth by endorsing an independent probe into this matter.

Here is one from San Diego:

If we continue to make war based on misinformation, we will regret it as we did in Vietnam. What is done is done in Iraq, but we should be honest enough to look at the truth.

Now, here is another one from La Mesa, California, in southern California:

Our system is based on the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Once we feel that we are betrayed by our leaders and that they are not telling us the truth, the whole system might collapse. We paid millions of dollars to investigate the previous President because he lied about his private life. Therefore, it is worth our effort and money to investigate the current President and find out if he lied about taking our country to war. Certainly we need to know how the President used false evidence in his State of the Union speech to make his case for war. Please form an investigation committee and bring out the truth.

Here is one, Mr. Speaker, from Huntington Beach, California, again in southern California:

Isn't it time we got to the bottom of this embarrassment? It is obvious at this point that there were serious distortions given to the American people regarding the necessity for war with Iraq. As a matter of fact, it might be more important to look at why the distortions were necessary at all. Why was it so important to go to war with Iraq that lies had to be used? A lot of time, money, and lies have been spent on this charade and it seems, in due course, that the Bush administration should receive the same grilling that Tony Blair has gotten over the same issues.

Mr. Speaker, believe me, these individuals throughout the State of California believe that this is a matter of national security and national integrity to explore these questions. They want an independent commission to establish an investigation.

JULY 16, 2003

CONGRESS SHOULD SUPPORT AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S DISTORTION OF EVIDENCE OF IRAQ'S WMD PROGRAMS -- (House of Representatives - July 16, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, a grass-roots organization called moveon.org has an online petition right now seeking an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration. I will read it. ''Congress should support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distorting of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.''

They are supporting H.R. 2625, a bill sponsored by the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), that would create an independent commission that would look into the intelligence that led up to certain representations that the Bush administration has made.

People want answers to questions. So what we are doing for the next several nights, some of us, is reading some of these letters and comments that have come as a result of this on-line petition.

These are the ones that have come from Illinois. Out of 320,000 people who signed the petition, there were thousands of comments. These are the ones from Illinois, and I would like to read just a few of them.

I think my colleagues will find that what these letters do is question the intelligence that was provided, or question the representations that were made, but do not question the integrity. I think my colleagues will agree with that.

I am reading now. ''My son is a reservist who has been called into active duty on account of the war on Iraq. This is the second time since 9/11 that he has had to put aside his college studies and go on the front line to serve our country. Considering his sacrifice alone, he and I need to know the truth about why he assisted in the war effort.'' That is from Patricia from Woodridge, Illinois.

''Two of my sons are in the military. They told me, ''Mom, we have to do what we are commanded. It is your responsibility to help make sure we are only asked to do what is morally and ethically right.' That is why I urge Congress to thoroughly investigate the events leading to the war in Iraq.'' That is from Marge in DeKalb, Illinois.

''Two of my best friends are sergeants in the U.S. Army. They signed up and put their lives on the line to protect and defend our country for people like me. We owe it to them to make sure that when we ask them to put their lives in danger the reasons are just, valid, and truthful. I cannot imagine how the families of the servicemen and women who died in Iraq must feel now, knowing that, perhaps, their sons, daughters, spouses, moms and dads died not because they were defending us against a true threat but because of political or financial reasons. Let us investigate this fully and give our service members the dignity they deserve,'' says Jennifer from Chicago.

''As the mother and mother-in-law of a son and son-in-law sent to Iraq to risk their lives, it is important to me that an independent commission investigate our actions in Iraq and the reasons presented for doing so. We may be the most powerful Nation the world has ever known, but we have acted like cowards and weaklings. We have an obligation to be an uplifting role model to other nations. Instead, this government has chosen to reiterate the bully mentality. We raise our children to find positive ways to resolve disagreements and conflicts. Why? This government says that being the biggest and toughest guys gives you the right to stomp on whoever you want. Who will our children listen to?'' From Marlena in Chicago.

''My father is a veteran,'' says Trisha from McHenry Illinois, ''like his brother, his father, and his uncles. My mother's brothers are veterans, like their uncles. While many prominent members of this administration can claim no legitimate military service, it is terrible to think that they may have sent our men and women to Iraq for false reasons and that you would let them get away with it. Our servicemen and women are risking their lives for us, and it is our duty to make sure it is not for reasons other than what this administration has led us to believe. Your duty in this matter is not to your political party. Your duty is to the American people and to the Armed Forces who serve this country. An independent, bipartisan commission is warranted in this matter.''

And Trisha adds, ''Also, if you are going to keep passing resolutions supporting our Armed Forces, please stop cutting their benefits, give them a raise, and be nicer to veterans.''

''My brother is a member of the Illinois National Guard,'' says Penny from Freeport, ''and is currently serving our country in Iraq. I fear that he is risking his life under false pretenses. It is not only our right but our responsibility as American citizens to hold someone liable and seek the truth. We need to establish an investigative commission as soon as possible.''

END

INVESTIGATE IRAQ'S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION -- (House of Representatives - July 16, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Marin and Sonoma counties in California are as deeply concerned as the gentlewoman from Illinois' (Ms. Schakowsky) constituents are about their sons and their daughters dying in Iraq and the rationale the Republican administration has used to put them there.

Americans are willing to sacrifice, Mr. Speaker, but only when those sacrifices are clearly justified. The lack of confidence my constituents show in our current White House results in the American people being unsure that their sacrifice in Iraq is justified.

One of my constituents, Nina, from Sausalito writes, ''I believe the majority of Americans are good-hearted people who would not have supported the war on Iraq had they understood the true motivations for it. I believe that the administration knew this, and actively distorted information it gave the people in order to gain public support. We are supposed to live in a democracy, but how can we truly be a nation run by the people and for the people if our government is not open and honest in its communications with us?''

Some people think that Nina's suspicions, Mr. Speaker, are ridiculous. They cannot imagine how anyone could mistrust their leadership.

I understand that. After 9-11 we all wanted to trust our Nation's leaders completely, but now our complacency is being shaken. A Walter Pincus article in today's Washington Post reads: ''Between October 7, when President Bush made a speech laying out the case for military action against Hussein, and January 28, when he gave his State of the Union address, almost all the other evidence had either been undercut or disproved by U.N. inspectors.''

The issue, Mr. Speaker, is that people like Nina believe that when you are talking about war, it is not morally acceptable to send soldiers to early graves unless the evidence is absolutely overwhelming.

People who supported war in Iraq argue that the evidence was overwhelming, but that begs the question. If the evidence was so overwhelming, why was the indisputable evidence kept secret while citing disputed evidence over and over again?

My constituents do not think that adds up.

Paul from Mill Valley says it very simply: ''We, the people, deserve to know if the principal justification that was used to commit this country to war in Iraq was true or a fabrication to manipulate public opinion.''

And James from Greenbrae writes that the disgust is bipartisan: ''As a registered Republican, I too have had it.'' That is a very serious statement, and that is why we need a thorough bipartisan investigation into Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Stephanie from Sonoma had some instructions for me also: ''Support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence. The facts that have begun to come out are so alarming it would be a travesty to let this go without investigation.''

Graham from Santa Rosa also had some advice about an investigation: ''If there was no wrong doing, then the Bush administration should have nothing to worry about.''

Mr. Speaker, it is time to get the facts. I urge all of my colleagues to support the Waxman bill, H.R. 2625, for an independent bipartisan commission to investigate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. We should not be afraid of the truth.

END

INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE DISTORTION OF EVIDENCE OF IRAQ'S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION PROGRAMS -- (House of Representatives - July 16, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gingrey). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 50 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I will not consume the entire 50 minutes.

Many Members of Congress are receiving hundreds of letters each and aggregately tens of thousands of letters questioning this Congress' refusal to get to the bottom of the misinformation campaign on Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have signed an on-line petition which states that Congress should support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.

Unfortunately, the leadership in this House, the Republican leadership in this body, has refused to allow serious debate on this misinformation campaign, has refused to appoint an independent commission, has refused even to hold congressional hearings on what did the President tell the American people, were the reasons that he stated to the American people justifiable, were they truthful, and/or were they misleading to the American public and as reasons given for the attack on Iraq.

As I think about it, I look at American history and I think of another time when Members of Congress were not given the opportunity to debate a major national issue that affected national security, that affected the way of life of so many Americans, that affected issues of justice. Think back to more than 150 years ago when John Quincy Adams, a former president who came back to this body after he was President, and in those days, in the 1830s and 1840s, this Congress, with a very conservative leadership, actually passed a rule to prohibit the discussion or the debate of the issue of slavery in the House of Representatives. So in the halls of Congress, slavery, one of the great shames of this country, slavery was not even allowed to be discussed on the floor because of the ruling of the legislative leadership in those days.

Today, Members of Congress have been precluded in any kind of legislative vehicle, any kind of investigation from debating this issue of the administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps the President did nothing wrong, perhaps he did, but we have not really been able to debate that here.

So what John Quincy Adams did in the 1830s and 1840s was collect letters from his constituents, he called them petitions, and he read those petitions, those letters on the House floor. In other words, he let the people of the United States speak for themselves, using his voice. He was the megaphone to allow them to speak.

Many Members of Congress the last two nights, and we will continue in the nights ahead, are doing the same thing. They are taking many of these letters that we have received, people who have signed a petition saying Congress should support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program, and simply read those letters and allowed people to speak directly. It really is a night, as it was last night and the night before, for the people to take over the People's House, and Members of Congress, who are elected by 630,000 people, as all of us are, simply the mouthpiece for these constituents.

I would just like to share for 5 or 10 minutes, Mr. Speaker, some of these letters.

Jeff Hutchinson from Cincinnati, Ohio, wrote:

As a proud citizen of the United States of America, I am deeply concerned about the recent turn of events involving our Nation's foreign policy and our military invasion of Iraq. I have no doubt that the previous regime in Iraq was like many other contemporary governments, corrupt, violent, inhumane. I am concerned about the credibility of the United States before the international community if it is determined that this Nation enters into war based on uncertain evidence.

That was Mr. Hutchinson of Cincinnati. Those are his words, not mine, as all of these will be the words of constituents.

Thomas Gentry, Sr., Akron, Ohio, in my congressional district, wrote, ''A president and his administration must be truthful about dangers in our country. Please help form an independent commission to investigate the cloud hanging over the Bush administration for the apparent lying that took place to justify going to war with Iraq. Thank you.''

Celine Riedel, from Avon Lake, Ohio. She writes, ''Democrats should not be alone in demanding an open, full-scale investigation into the intelligence that helped plummet us into a preemptive war with Iraq. Republican Members of Congress should also be clamoring for the truth. If the American people were presented with a Gordian knot of deception, then now is the time for that knot to be untied.''

Natalie Sydorenko, from Akron, Ohio, wrote, ''No one is above the law or investigation. The truth will come

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out one way or another,'' she writes. ''Those who discourage uncovering the truth will appear just as deceptive as those hiding it. Please think about it.'' Natalie Sydorenko, from Akron, Ohio.

From Columbus, Ohio, Jason Bennett writes, ''I am appalled at the apparent lack of concern in Congress at the bold deceptions carried out by the administration in its arguments for the war on Iraq. It has been clear for months to anyone paying attention that the claims regarding Iraq's attempts to buy uranium from Niger were completely baseless. I am afraid this is only the most notorious in a litany of half-truths by which we have been lead to war on and occupation of Iraq. We owe it to the boys who are dying in Iraq to get the truth behind the President's claims,'' Mr. Bennett writes.

Mark Duckwall of Yellow Springs, southwest Ohio, writes, ''It is apparent the Bush administration creatively expanded the real threat from Iraq. We are now mired in a mess that will take years, billions of dollars, and more American lives to get out of. Please show the world that we hold our leaders accountable and are a peace-loving country,'' writes Mr. Duckwall.

Mr. Brad Steinmetz of Columbus, in central Ohio, the State capital, writes, ''The absence of an independent investigation into the serious questions surrounding the basis for our involvement in Iraq gives the impression that this administration has something to hide. It is as important for President Bush to earn the trust of the American people as it is for America to earn the trust of the people of the world,'' Mr. Steinmetz writes.

Diane Ciekaway, from Athens, Ohio, the district of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Strickland), writes, ''I feel the American people should hold their leaders to high standards of accountability. This is what we teach in our universities in our Nation and what I teach my students,'' she writes. ''Whatever the results of the inquiry, it will benefit the American public to understand how information is collected and how it is used to support U.S. policies.''

Abbey Steele, from Avon, Ohio, just down the street from where I live in Lorraine. Ms. Steele writes, ''Please take President Bush and his administration to task for massive distortion of intelligence. The country was deceived into war in order to advance a hegemonic international agenda that eschews principles of justice for those of 'might makes right.' The fact that Bush now refers to those questioning the evidence cited leading to war as 'revisionists of history,' '' and those are the President's words as cited by Ms. Steele, ''demonstrates how little this administration credits the American public. We can't let this administration continue to treat the public with such cynicism, either in foreign or domestic politics. Please keep our public officials accountable,'' Ms. Steele writes.

Paul Lubben, from Berea, Ohio, near Cleveland, writes, ''The possibility that the President took us into a war based on false information must be investigated by an independent group. In my opinion, this is a most serious charge,'' Mr. Lubben says.

Ken Harlow of Powell, Ohio, in central Ohio, writes, ''The weapons of mass destruction evidence presented to justify the war in Iraq needs to be fully disclosed and investigated. How will Americans otherwise be ever able to trust their government,'' he asks.

From Ravenna, Ohio, Alan Goldstein writes, ''As you know, I have written many times on the subject of the illegal wars created by the administration over the past couple of years. Now it seems that the media and the general public are finally paying attention to the seriousness of this situation. Now is the time to join your colleagues and to correct the wrongs that have been allowed to happen.''

[Time: 23:20]

Last from Dr. Mary Lou Shaw from Southwest Ohio, ''For us to continue to have a democracy, you must fight for the American people to know the truth.''

As I stated earlier, that is a sample of the 2,500 letters that constituents from all over Ohio have written to their Members of Congress. I know there were some 6,000 letters from Illinois, some tens of thousands of letters from California, and many more from across the country, people who are concerned, people who are demanding petitioning, asking this Congress to support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.

I hope that leaders in this body will listen to those who are petitioning this Congress, will listen to the hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of voices in this country who want to know if we were deceived into war and want to get to the bottom of this, to restore the trust in the administration, to restore our trust in the President of the United States, and to restore our trust in the United States Congress, and to restore our trust in our government.

END

JULY 18, 2003

SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON WAR WITH IRAQ -- (House of Representatives - July 18, 2003)

[Page: H7163]

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have come to the floor, once again tonight, to discuss the groundswell of support for an independent commission to discuss the administration's plans regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. After hearing the administration's case for war, many Americans felt they were led to believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction ready to use against America and were on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Mr. Speaker, we may yet find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but it is now clear to many Americans that the administration overstated and misrepresented the threat that Iraq posed to the United States. Those Americans can say it better than I can.

Fred, from Ventura, California writes, ''I recently read an article that summarized the comments made by the President and members of his administration. I am deeply troubled by how incongruent these statements are with the realities after President Bush declared an end to hostilities.''

[Time: 17:00]

Susan from Solana Beach, California, compares the administration's untruths with recent corporate scandals, ''Enough is enough. Whatever deceptions corporate America perpetrated in the last few years, no one died and we continue to investigate. Washington must be held to a far higher standard because American lives were risked and lost on the word of the Bush administration. Without an investigation to answer these important questions about potential distortion of intelligence reports, all the tax cuts in the world will not buy my vote in future elections.''

Steve from Bakersfield was more understanding: ''If we launch a preemptive war by mistake, God help America.''

This is not God's responsibility, Mr. Speaker. It is the Congress's responsibility.

Beatrice from Redondo Beach is upset with those of us here in Congress: ''I am angry at the lack of action by our representatives against this Bush administration on their manipulation of facts in order to take our country to war.''

J. Lawrence of California seconds that and I will quote him: ''Of all things that a government does, the decision to go to war must be made openly and without manipulations. I urge you to support an independent commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding what we, the public, were told about the justification for our recent incursion into Iraq. We spent millions on a sexual dalliance but appear to have been ignoring what may have been a mass deception and manipulation of truth that in the end put U.S. citizens and soldiers in harm's way.''

Stan and Sue from Sierra Madre support an investigation also. They say: ''Never should we harm another country nor put our own sons and daughters in harm's way under false pretenses. An inquiry is one of the tools to make sure this does not happen in the future.''

Mr. Speaker, other Americans want to remind us, in the Congress, that they do not care about partisanship. They only care about getting to the truth.

Steve from Moorpark writes: ''In the interest of preserving the freedoms and liberties inherent to our Constitution, I ask you to support an independent investigation of the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. No matter which political party affiliation any American favors, it is detrimental to our country, our Constitution, and our democracy to have our leaders mislead all Americans for reasons yet unknown.''

It is time to get the facts. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2625, the gentleman from California's (Mr. Waxman) bill to create an independent commission to uncover all of the facts about the administration's claims and Iraq's weapons. It is time for Congress to stop beating around the bush and take action. Support fact finding. Support an independent commission.

END

AMERICANS NEED THE TRUTH -- (House of Representatives - July 18, 2003)

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The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, 160-or-so years ago, Congress passed a rule prohibiting Members of Congress from debating the issue of slavery. The issue of slavery, the greatest blemish on our Nation's history, was actually not debated in Congress for many years because conservative leaders of this body simply said it could not be, and passed a rule prohibiting it.

John Quincy Adams, former President and later Member of Congress in the 1830s and 1840s came to this Chamber of the House of Representatives and collected letters from his constituents. He called them petitions from mostly women's group in Massachusetts. Women in those days were not allowed to voted, as most of us know. He brought these petitions from women who were opposed to slavery and read them on the House floor.

While the rules said he could not debate slavery, he was simply a mouthpiece, a conduit, was a megaphone for the concerns of the people in his district about a great national problem.

Fast forward the clock to 2003. We now have a legislative leadership which is again saying no to debating issues of what really happened with the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program. While the President may have made, perhaps we are not really sure quite what happened, but we want to investigate. We want to know more. There has been no avenue to do that in this body.

So as a result a group called Moveon.org has gathered online hundreds of thousands of petitions and tens of thousands of American citizens including dozens, dozens, dozens in my district, thousands in the State of Ohio, tens of thousands around the country, speaking out about what they think.

So I am going to share in the next 3 1/2 minutes or so, Mr. Speaker, what people in my district are saying when they sign this petition saying that Congress should support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.

[Time: 17:15]

John Ciraldo of Akron, Ohio, in my District, ''It seems to me that the evidence of deceit led by the Bush administration is becoming more and more prevalent.''

''I feel that it is becoming more of an issue to the American people. As part of a democracy, we believe that we have a right to know.''

''Please take a stand,'' Mr. Ciraldo writes, ''for what I believe you know to be right. Be fair to our Nation and show a true patriotism, investigate. All of America has the right to know.'' Mr. Ciraldo from Akron.

Thomas Spalding, also from Akron, Ohio, shorter letter, ''Please pursue an

[Page: H7165]

open investigation of the rationale for war that was used by the Bush administration to assuage public doubts about preemptive, unilateral action against Iraq.'' Mr. Spalding from Akron, Ohio.

From Elyria, Ohio, Linda Mitchell writes, ''As an American and one of your constituents, I want to know the truth behind what led up to the grossly unjust 'war' in Iraq. It is time for Congress to shed light upon what I believe we all know was the administration's misuse of the tragedy of September 11 to meet their own greedy need for oil.'' Ms. Mitchell from Elyria, Ohio.

From Strongsville, Ohio, John Regetz, Junior, ''I strongly urge you to vote for the establishment of the commission to investigate the validity of the evidence that the present administration used to start the Iraq war. It appears to me that, for the first time in our history,'' for the first time in our history Mr. Regetz writes, ''we unjustly started a war without first being truly provoked. I think the American people need to know the true facts about this whole mess we now find ourselves in.''

Elizabeth from Akron, Ohio, ''There is little argument that the past three years have been the saddest in our Nation's history. A nonelected President and his staff callously made critical decisions that deeply affect us all today and for generations to come. One such decision,'' she writes, ''was to end the weapons inspection program and preemptively strike Iraq, supposedly before we were struck by weapons of mass destruction.

''Now, countless civilian and soldier deaths later, yet still no evidence of weapons of mass destruction, the administration is willing to admit that the intelligence leading to this mess was flawed. At the same time, they are talking about sending even more of our military personnel into the chaos that they have created.''

Susan Clements, also from Akron, Ohio. Ms. Clements writes, It really is of crucial importance that we find out the truth in the matter. Lying to the American people about anything is troubling, but to lie about something like this is outrageous. Support for this war was lukewarm at best. Even that was a result of that argument. To date, thousands of people have died, a country has been devastated, a region thrown into turmoil simply to allow Bush's cronies to make a fortune by cleaning up the mess that he made. This is unconscionable. Please support the American people and hold them accountable. Thank you.

The last letter I will share with my colleagues as my time runs out is from Ron Collins of Barberton, Ohio. Mr. Collins writes, I am certain that you, like many of us here were frightened by the statements made in public back in the State of the Union and earlier by the Bush administration. If those statements were false, we must know of this Mr. Collins writes. Please show America that you are not afraid to stand up for the rights of the people who put you in office. Despite any pressures you may have been placed under to ignore these issues, those of us in your district implore you to live up to the oath of office you took when you were sworn in.

I thank those people in Ohio that have shared their concerns with me and, most importantly, with the members of this body and with the American people because their concerns do indeed, Mr. Speaker, need to be heard.

END