STATEMENT BY SENATOR MARK DAYTON ON THE NOMINATION OF DR. CONDOLEEZZA RICE TO BECOME SECRETARY OF STATE
THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I RISE TODAY TO ALSO OPPOSE THE NOMINATION OF NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER CONDOLEEZZA RICE FOR SECRETARY OF STATE.
I DO SO, BECAUSE SHE MISLED ME ABOUT THE SITUATION IN IRAQ BEFORE AND AFTER THE CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION IN OCTOBER, 2002, AUTHORIZING THAT WAR, A RESOLUTION THAT I OPPOSED. SHE MISLED OTHER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ABOUT THE SITUATION IN IRAQ, MEMBERS WHO HAVE SAID THAT THEY WOULD HAVE OPPOSED THAT RESOLUTION IF THEY HAD BEEN TOLD THE TRUTH. AND SHE MISLED THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA AND AMERICANS EVERYWHERE ABOUT THE SITUATION IN IRAQ, BEFORE AND AFTER THAT WAR BEGAN.....
DR. RICE STATED IN A TELEVISION INTERVIEW ON DECEMBER 8, 2002, AS THE ADMINISTRATION WAS LAUNCHING ITS CAMPAIGN TO SCARE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND STAMPEDE CONGRESS ABOUT SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SUPPOSEDLY URGENT THREAT TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY. SHE SHREWDLY INVOKED THE ULTIMATE THREAT THAT HE POSSESSED OR WOULD SOON POSSESS NUCLEAR WEAPONS. SHE SAID THAT DAY -- QUOTE -- "WE DON'T WANT THE SMOKING GUN TO BE A MUSHROOM CLOUD."
SOON THEREAFTER, SHE AND OTHER TOP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS CITED INTERCEPTED ALUMINUM TUBES AS DEFINITE PROOF THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN HAD AN ACTIVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM UNDER WAY. DR. RICE STATED PUBLICLY AT THE TIME -- QUOTE -- "THE TUBES ARE ONLY REALLY SUITED FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAMS, CENTRIFUGE PROGRAMS."
IN LATE SEPTEMBER OF 2002, SHORTLY BEFORE WE IN CONGRESS WERE TO VOTE ON THE IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION, DR. RICE INVITED ME ALONG WITH, I BELIEVE, FIVE OF MY SENATE COLLEAGUES TO THE WHITE HOUSE, WHERE WE WERE BRIEFED BY HER AND THEN-C.I.A. DIRECTOR GEORGE TENET. THAT BRIEFING WAS CLASSIFIED. WHAT I WAS SHOWN AND TOLD CONFORMED TO DR. RICE'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS WITH NO QUALIFICATIONS WHATSOEVER.
NOW, OF COURSE, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH FOR 18 MONTHS BY OVER 1,400 UNITED STATES WEAPONS INSPECTORS THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN DID NOT HAVE AN ACTIVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM UNDER WAY AND THAT HE, APPARENTLY, POSSESSED NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION OF ANY KIND.
WE'VE ALSO BEEN TOLD THAT IN THE FALL OF 2002, RIGHT AT THE TIME OF MY MEETING IN THE WHITE HOUSE, RIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE VOTES ON THE IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION, THE TOP NUCLEAR EXPERTS AT THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND OFFICIALS IN OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES WERE DISAGREEING STRONGLY WITH DR. RICE'S CLAIM THAT THOSE ALUMINUM TUBES COULD ONLY HAVE BEEN INTENDED FOR USE IN DEVELOPING NUCLEAR WEAPONS MATERIALS. THAT EXPERT DISSENT AND HONEST DISAGREEMENT, A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW, WAS NOT COMMUNICATED TO ME; NOR WAS IT BROUGHT TO ME LATER, IF IT WAS NOT KNOWN AT THE TIME. I RECEIVED NO PHONE CALL OR LETTER TO SAY, NO, SENATOR DAYTON, I JUST WANTED TO CORRECT A MISIMPRESSION THAT I GAVE YOU AT THAT MEETING. I NOW HAVE INFORMATION THAT CONTRADICTS WHAT YOU WERE TOLD THEN. I STILL BELIEVE IN MY OWN VIEW, BUT I WANT YOU TO BE AWARE OF OTHERS BEFORE YOU CAST THE MOST IMPORTANT VOTE IN YOUR SENATE CAREER. OR EVEN A CALL OR COMMUNICATION AFTER THAT VOTE WAS CAST, THERE WAS NOTHING......
I DON'T LIKE TO IMPUGN ANYONE'S INTEGRITY, BUT I REALLY DON'T LIKE BEING LIED TO REPEATEDLY, FLAGRANTLY, INTENTIONALLY. IT'S WRONG. IT'S UNDEMOCRATIC, IT'S UN-AMERICAN, AND IT'S DANGEROUS. IT IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS. AND IT IS OCCURRING FAR TOO FREQUENTLY IN THIS ADMINISTRATION. AND THIS CONGRESS, THIS SENATE MUST DEMAND THAT IT STOP NOW.
MY VOTE AGAINST THIS NOMINATION IS MY STATEMENT THAT THIS ADMINISTRATION'S LYING MUST STOP NOW. I URGE MY COLLEAGUES TO JOIN ME IN THIS DEMAND, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, INDEPENDENTS; WE ARE ALL, ALL OF US, FIRST AND FOREMOST AMERICANS. WE MUST BE TOLD THE TRUTH, IF WE'RE TO GOVERN OUR COUNTRY AND TO PRESERVE OUR WORLD, AND THAT'S WHY WE MUST VOTE AGAINST THIS NOMINATION.