WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A coalition of 9/11 families'
organizations today is running a political advertisement in six Georgia
newspapers criticizing Republican senatorial candidate Saxby Chambliss for
helping the White House block legislation that would create a commission to
investigate the 9/11 attacks.
President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are campaigning
for Chambliss in the hope that he will unseat Democrat Max Cleland in the too-
close-to-call Senate race in Georgia and help the Republicans gain control of
the Senate.
The Campaign for an Independent Commission, which represents the 3,000
families whose loved ones died in the attacks, hopes the ad will help convince
the White House to withdraw its objections to a commission plan approved by
the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees.
Despite his approval of the commission plan, House Intelligence Committee
Chairman Porter Goss (R-Fla.) is blocking the commission at the White House's
request. Chambliss and other Republicans on the House committee have made no
apparent attempt to convince Goss to honor his agreement with the other
leaders. The impasse is not only holding up the commission but also the
Intelligence Authorization Act.
The ad appears today in the Albany Herald, Athens Banner-Herald, Augusta
Chronicle, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Macon Telegraph, and Savannah Morning
News. The text of the ad follows:
Open Letter to Saxby Chambliss from 9/11 Families:
Stop Putting Politics Before America's Security
Dear Rep. Chambliss:
We, who represent more than 3,000 families whose loved ones died in the
Sept. 11 attacks, are writing to express our grave concern that you are
placing politics before America's security. Despite your position as a member
of the House Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on
Terrorism and Homeland Security, you and other Republicans on the committee
are blocking passage of the Intelligence Authorization bill, which includes an
amendment authorizing an independent investigation into 9/11.
You surely must know the Intelligence Authorization bill is needed to
correct serious deficiencies in the nation's intelligence agencies. The bill
includes provisions that would allow intelligence agencies to hire more
officers with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures, increase the
percentage of intelligence data analyzed, and accelerate development of
intelligence-gathering technologies.
The independent commission is necessary because there are likely to be
other deficiencies not yet discovered -- not only in the intelligence agencies
but also in agencies responsible for areas such as aviation security, border
control, and immigration policy. Success in defending America will depend in
large part on the ability to identify systemic problems in these agencies and
propose effective solutions.
Even though bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate support the
commission, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee are blocking the
bill at the request of the White House because the Bush Administration wants
to control the leadership and subpoena power of the commission. We believe
the commission will be neither effective nor credible unless it has bipartisan
leadership, with no opportunity for partisan blocking of subpoenas.
In The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week, your spokesperson accused
Senate Democrats of blocking the bill. You know that isn't true. You know
that several weeks ago the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate
Intelligence Committees agreed to compromise language for an independent
commission and that only the White House disagrees with this compromise. You
also know that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Porter Goss (R-Fla.)
blocked the Intelligence Authorization bill after Vice President Dick Cheney
told him the White House doesn't support the compromise.
You say you support the independent commission, but we have seen no
evidence of this. You voted against the commission when it came to the House
floor in July. We have seen no effort on your part to convince Rep. Goss to
stop blocking the Intelligence Authorization bill.
In contrast, Sen. Max Cleland was one of the first co-sponsors of the
Senate version of the independent commission. He voted in favor of the
commission when it passed by a vote of 90 to 8 in the Senate. Senate
Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) has joined the
Democratic leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees in urging
Rep. Goss to let the Intelligence Authorization bill proceed.
Both the Intelligence Authorization bill and the independent commission
are vitally needed in the war on terrorism. But neither will become law
unless you and other Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee oppose
the unreasonable demands of the White House.
We want to prevent other families from suffering the loss our families
have had to endure. We ask you to set politics aside and act in the best
interests of the nation.
Sincerely,
The members of Families of September 11, September 11th Advocates,
September 11th Homeland Security Alliance, Skyscraper Safety Campaign, and
Voices of September 11th
SOURCE Families of September 11
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Related links:
http://www.familiesofseptember11.org
CONTACT:
Stephen Push of Campaign for an Independent
Commission, office, +1-202-393-3996, or cell, +1-202-257-1252
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