Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I joined my colleagues in writing to the President urging him to sign this conference report. This conference report contains a provision that mirrors legislation which I authored with Congressman Delahunt, the American Anti-Torture Act, that would ensure a single, uniform baseline standard for all interrogations conducted by the U.S. intelligence community. I applaud the leadership of Senator Feinstein and the other conferees for including this measure in the report.

Since news of the mistreatment, and possible torture, of detainees in U.S. custody first surfaced, Congress has debated, and legislated, on the subject of the legal, and moral, limits on interrogation. Torture is unworthy of the United States and its people. It places every American, especially every American in uniform around the world, at grave risk.

The United States has historically been a leader in the effort to establish and enforce the laws of war and the conventions against torture. The Army Field Manual is an outstanding example of how our modern military effectively gathers intelligence and observes international norms of conduct.

We all understand the critical role that intelligence plays in helping us achieve these goals. But torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, besides being contrary to our values, have proven not to be effective in obtaining actionable intelligence. Current and former members of the military have made it clear that torture doesn't work.

That includes General Petraeus, who wrote an open letter that the standards in the Army Field Manual ``work effectively and humanely in eliciting information from detainees.'' Lieutenant General Kimmons, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, similarly stated that ``No good intelligence is going to come from abusive practices. Any piece of intelligence which is obtained under duress, under, through the use of abusive techniques would be of questionable credibility.''

Mr. Speaker, the President and this Administration have repeatedly said that America does not torture. But most intelligent people know the word of this Administration cannot be trusted. And to prove the point, when asked to place those assurances into law, the President refuses. Now Congress must act to override the President's veto and hold him to his word.

And later this week, we will deal with FISA. And all the nonsense spewed by the other side will be dealt with because we will again, as we did last November, pass a bill which will give every tool the Administration says they need to them but will place it under judicial and congressional supervision to protect our liberties as well as our safety.

I urge support of this veto override to outlaw torture once and for all.