State of Washington Archives: on War & Peace

Dirk Kempthorne: Participate in military funerals for soldiers killed in Iraq

John Ashcroft: Push anti-terrorism laws despite Congressional skepticism

The administration’s bill would make it easier for law enforcement agencies to eavesdrop on suspected terrorists by expanding wiretap authority from single phone lines to multiple modes of communication linked to a suspect, such as cell phones and e-mail. It would also expand the definition of terrorists to include those who “lend support” to terrorist organizations, and it would allow immigration officials to “detain and remove” them. It would permit law enforcement agencies to share information-including grand jury testimony-with intelligence agencies, and it would let law enforcement officials not only freeze terrorists’ assets but also seize them.

Donald Rumsfeld: Legal ban on assassinations limits pursuit of bin Laden

Rumsfeld said the legal ban on government-sponsored assassinations restricts what the government can do in its pursuit of bin Laden, who is described as the prime suspect in the attacks. But former president Bill Clinton, in an interview with NBC News, said the ban should pose no hurdle. The ban applies only to heads of state, not terrorists, he said. “I can assure you we’ve been trying to get Osama bin Laden for the last several years.”