Accountability in the War on Terror

by Patrick Joseph Murphy

                  ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE WAR ON TERROR

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PATRICK J. MURPHY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2007

  Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
talk about the continued need for accountability in the war on terror.
I support the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, but
must register my concerns about the money we pledge to send to
Pakistan.
  Clear rules and accountability are vital to winning the war on
terror. Just as we attach benchmarks and set goals for the money the
United States sends to Iraq and Afghanistan, we must do the same for
Pakistan--especially if Pakistan is to continue as a true partner in
this fight.
  While Iraq continues to smolder, Osama bin Laden--the murderer of
more than 3,000 innocent Americans is still at large. President Bush
said at a press conference 5 years ago, that he "didn't spend much
time on him."
  Recently, when asked why bin Laden hadn't been brought to justice yet
he said: "Why is he still at large? Because we haven't got him yet . .
. That's why. And he's hiding, and we're looking, and we will continue
to look until we bring him to justice."
  This is not good enough.
  Meanwhile, the Taliban is resurgent in Afghanistan and American
commanders on the ground are asking for more troops to fight terror,
hunt down al Qaeda and kill Osama bin Laden.
  Madam Speaker, we need to win the war on terror--and that means
hunting down bin Laden and al Qaeda wherever they are. That means--
above all else--success in Afghanistan.
  Our troops over there are doing an amazing job and they deserve our
continued support. It is getting harder for them, especially along the
border between Afghanistan and Pakistan--and in some of the areas where
we believe bin Laden is still at large.
  I have always said that we needed to be tough and smart in fighting
the war on terror. That means asking tough questions--even of our
friends. One question that needs to be asked--especially as we prepare
to send them $300 million dollars--is about Pakistan's President
Musharraf.
  Right now we can count President Musharraf as an ally but is he doing
all he can

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to hunt bin Laden? We cannot afford to let a mass murderer slip through
our fingers again.
  The U.S. has sent $5.6 billion in military reimbursements to Pakistan
for counterterrorism efforts--this is $80 million a month. We are about
to vote to send them even more.
  In the early days of the war in Afghanistan, President Bush decided
to out-source the hunt for bin Laden in Tora Bora. Now we need to
examine--are we relying too much on Pakistan and their accord with
tribal warlords near the Afghan border for the same reason?
  Why do we, the United States of America, continue to send roughly $1
billion per year to Pakistan if they are going to slash patrols through
the area where al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are most active?
  Why, as Senator Reed has said, are we reimbursing Pakistan for their
efforts instead of, "paying for specific objectives?"
  Is it true, as two American analysts and one American soldier
reported--that Pakistani security forces fired in direct support of
Taliban ground attacks on Afghan Army posts?
  Families in the 8th District of Pennsylvania voted me here to ask
tough questions and demand accountability.
  I hope over the coming weeks and months this Congress gets answers to
these vital questions so we can effectively prosecute the war on
terror.
  We can win the war on terror but after more than 4 years in Iraq and
nearly 6 years in Afghanistan, we need to demand more results.
  Madam Speaker, by asking the tough questions we can continue to
support the troops who are fighting bravely to secure our Nation.

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