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America At War
Congress
With Rep. Tom Davis
Virginia's 11th District
Friday, Oct. 12, 2001; 3:15 p.m. EDT
U.S. and British forces began a series of strikes in Afghanistan targeting al Qaeda training centers and the country's ruling Taliban on Sunday, Oct. 7. President Bush described the strikes as a "sustained, comprehensive and relentless" campaign against terrorism.
Congressman Tom Davis (R-Va.) will be online to take questions and comments on the military strikes in Afghanistan and the government's actions in the wake of Sept. 11.
The transcript follows.
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Texas:
Are there special briefings for Congressmen and women on the war in Afghanistan? How are you keeping informed?
Rep. Tom Davis: They are. A couple time a week people ranging from the Sec. State and Sec Defense and generals briefing us. I can tell you that an avid follower of CNN or Fox news would probably learn as much as we do.
Falls Church, Va.:
I know that you are very interested in technology issues. How do you see technology and encryption changing in the wake of the horrible terrorist attacks of Sept. 11? Thank you for taking my question.
Rep. Tom Davis: The issue of privacy in internet correspondence will be looked at anew. Just as the Romans built a system of roads to help them conquer the world, the barbarians used those same roads to come in and conquer Rome. To a great extent the technological innovations of the free market are being used by our enemies to defeat us. I think that issues like wiretapping and privacy are going to be given a new look by congress and the administration, however if anything we will develop new tools to communicate and encrypt and I suspect there will be vast federal investment for some basic research in these areas.
Arlington, Va.:
What will happen with the slate of legislation that was being debated before the Sept. 11 attack?
Rep. Tom Davis: I think that the education bill, the fast track trade legislation will probably have an enhanced opportunity top become law. Issues like campaign finance reform I think take a back seat at this time.
Falls Church, Va.:
Greetings Congressman. I live in Lake Barcroft in Falls Church and work in Washington, D.C. I am concerned about future terrorist attacks and am gratified to observe that the Congress, in a unified, bi-partisan manner, is working toward securing (as much as is possible) our safety. Two questions: (1) What is your impression of the steps being taken by the federal government to prepare for chemical or biological terrorist attacks? (2) What can we, your constituents, do to support our government at this critical time? Thank you.
Rep. Tom Davis: No one knows what the next terrorist attack will entail. It could entail chemical and biological agents. It could entail some type of cyber crime. It could be the blowing up of bridges or a pipe line, but surely enhanced security in all of these areas in order. With so many possible targets the United States must step up its intelligence gathering and start spending money in infiltrating groups that can cause this country harm. Citizens should be on the lookout for abnormal occurrences, but I actually think we may be safer in the Washington area and around the Capitol than most other places. Nevertheless, we don't know when, where or how the next attack will come.
Washington, D.C.:
Congressman, I understand you played a pivotal role in reopening Reagan National Airport. Can you give us an idea of how the decision was ultimately made?
Rep. Tom Davis: The key to opening Reagan National was to elevate the decision from the National Security Council and other security agencies to the Presidential or political level. This was accomplished in a meeting with Andrew Card the day before the airport opened. Obviously the National security Advisors would never reopen the airport, but other parts of the administration recognized the political and economic consequences of keeping it closed.
Virginia:
What are your thoughts on the President's decision to allow the CIA to resume briefing the intelligence committees in Congress. Is this a good idea considering the problem some of your colleges seem to have keeping classified information to themselves?
Rep. Tom Davis: I think it is very important that Congress be in on the information that is used to make executive decisions. There has to be a balance of powers and some oversight. Limiting it to the intelligence committees make sense because members of Congress often like to impress their constituents and TV audiences with how much they are in the know. We like to lead our constituents to believe we know the name of the Unknown Soldier -- we just can't tell them.
South Bend, Ind.:
If there was ever a demonstration of the need for new leadership among House Republicans, it is the current debate over privatization/ federalization of airport security.
I think your party needs to recognize that the Contract with America is about as relevant as the Confederate Constitution.
Isn't it time for a reality check by your leadership?
Rep. Tom Davis: I don't know whether the new airport security officers should be federal or contract employees and I don't really care, so long as they get the job done. I think that Congress is probably the least equipped body to make that decision and recognizes that there is a lot of politics that goes into the posturing of this issue. However, there seems to be some members of Congress that are scared to death of a few federal employees and that is unfortunate. We must remember that many federal employees died at the Pentagon, many federal employees are working as the CDC working against biological terror, and that there are many at the National Cancer Institute, and I think they do a great job.
Bowie, Md.:
What are your thoughts on the Virginia gubernatorial election? What do you think the outcome will be?
Rep. Tom Davis: The Virginia race has tightened considerably over the last month. The Sept. 11 events have changed people's priorities and the tax issue has added fuel to the fire. So it appears, going into the last 3 weeks of the campaign, that the race is competitive with a small lead, but dwindling lead, for the Democratic candidate Mark Warner.
Falls Church, Va.:
It appears that the U.S. "war against terrorism" needs to be a public relations campaign as much as anything else in order to ultimately be successful. Current reports indicate that an unsettling number of the world's Muslim people hold strong anti-American views -- clearly, this cannot continue or be allowed to escalate. If it does, more young recruits will be attracted to engage in anti-American terrorist activity. What are your views on the best steps we can take to educate the world that we are NOT anti-Muslim nor anti-Islam so as not to incite further violence against us?
Rep. Tom Davis: I think treating Muslims in this country with respect and decency are critical. I believe that working with the governments in the middle east and keeping them a part of the coalition is also critical. I also think that the efforts by the administration to constantly reiterate that our war is with terrorists and not Islam and to continue to drop food for Afghans who are relegated to starvation by the Taliban are important steps. This is a chess game, not a tennis slam game, and we must execute with precision.
Arligton, Va.:
The recent terrorism act included a provision on limiting overtime that employers can pay there employees can you explain the reasoning why this provision is in there? What does overtime have to do with terrorism?
Rep. Tom Davis: I am not aware of that prevision, and in this economy that would be stupid. But since we are currently debating the anti-terrorist legislation I am going to try and ascertain that this is not part of it before we vote.
Tucson, Ariz.:
Let me start-off by saying I am a supporter of the President and the actions he is taking against the terrorists. However, right now I would be hard pressed to send a dollar (or my kids) to the Afghans for anything. I need some assurance that the next generation of terrorists is not being fed by my dollars. We supported the Taliban in their fight against the Soviets, and it obviously brought us nothing but grief. What assurance do we have that there will be a nation of peace loving Afghans after the war?
Rep. Tom Davis: The difficult part about public policy is that there are no guarantees. Much of the hate that is felt by current Muslims comes from refugee camps where people with nothing to loose are taught to direct their hatred at America or a globalized economy or some third party. It has always been my belief that making people economically secure raises the stakes of war and terrorism because they really have something to loose. This is our goal, I think we are acting correctly, but there are no guarantees.
Fairfax, Va.:
William Kristol suggests the Republican Party stop badmouthing "nation-building" efforts and step up democracy building. Is this what we get for spending our tax dollars propping up fundamentalist theocracies and oil oligarchies? If so, we've failed big time. After this war is over, can we insist our "allies" support life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness by requiring (at a minimum) secular education for girls & boys, equal human rights for women, basic healthcare & family planning, free press and market economies? Plus the separation of church & state? Thank you.
Rep. Tom Davis: I wish it were that simple. I think the globalization of the economy, to some extent, dictates market economies for countries who want to join, and democratization is more likely to follow free economies than controlled economies. But there are so many variables and there are no guarantees. Also, to fight terrorism we are forced by the world map to deal with countries and to give benefits to countries that in a perfect world we would not want to.
Annandale, Va.:
I applaud you and the other Congressional leaders for your strong support of the President's actions and your prompt attention to some critical needs. However, I am concerned about two related points. The President has repeatedly said that our goal is to eliminate terrorism. This does not seem realistic -- one of the reasons terrorism exists is because there are people who simply cannot stand to live in a world that includes us and some of these people will always lash out against us -- and will, in any event, require us to act in ways that are contrary to our interests and our ideals. My questions, then, are how long will Congressional support continue after we effectively eliminate, or at least neutralize, the al Qaeda network, and will Congress support, for example, military operations in Chechnya to help the Russians combat terrorists there?
Rep. Tom Davis: There is no question that wiping out terrorism entirely is a likely impossible task, but we can dismantle the al-Quada network, we can bring the perpetrators to justice and signal to the world that people who choose to act in that way will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. I do not know what the second chapter of these activities will be. These are unwritten chapters in a long book of history. It is creating allies for us that have previously been lukewarm. It is opening up relationships with nations that have been closed to us for a generation. But I don't know the next step at this time.
Washington, D.C.:
Do you believe that changing US foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine should be a part of any effort to convince the world that the US is not anti-Muslim? Or indeed simply to demonstrate that we are more than cosmetically concerned with human rights and the right to self-determination?
Rep. Tom Davis: I don't think that the resolution of the Israel/Palestine conflict should be tied directly to any acts of terrorism. That sends a very bad message to any aggrieved group who doesn't like US policy.
It has always been in our interest to try and bring peace in Palestine and I think the Palestinian Authority has acted constructively over the past couple of weeks, which I think will help them at the bargaining table. Very few countries, including the PA, want Islamic fundamentalists governing their countries and some leaders I have talked to fear radical Islam far more than the Israelis. Let's take this one step at a time, lets join against terrorism, lets try to tone down the rhetoric in Palestine and get back to the bargaining table as quickly as possible, because ultimately the two parties have to agree to any solution. We can add value to the situation, but we can not dictate it. Former senator Mitchell outlined a process that should be followed.
Rep. Tom Davis: I appreciate the questions and have to run over to a vote. I look forward to doing this again. Thank you.
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
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