MORAL AUTHORITY REQUIRED TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE USA(Duncan Hunter

Statement of Congressman Duncan Hunter MORAL AUTHORITY REQUIRED TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Currently, members of the House Judiciary Committee are charged with reviewing the evidence involved in determining whether an inquiry of impeachment by the full House of Representatives is warranted.

I believe it is imperative that we proceed with our deliberations in a full, fair, and independent manner, and I have complete faith that the Judiciary Committee will conduct its business both equitably and expeditiously.

Along with other members of Congress, I am now awaiting the findings of the Judiciary Committee. Given all that we now know regarding this matter, however, I am reminded of a speech which I gave on the floor of the House of Representatives before the 1992 election. My views (excerpt reprinted below) about the moral authority required by a president have not changed since President Clinton took office.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Moral Authority of the Commander in Chief House of Representatives - October 01, 1992

Mr. HUNTER. This gentleman just showed up, but I do appreciate the gentleman letting me join in the debate.

I think you have brought up a very important point here. I was getting ready to take off for the night and noticed the discussion, and you hit on the point that I think is lying with every American family, troubling every American family right now, and that is this: The Commander in Chief, from George Washington onward, has had the duty of asking American families to give up their children to go off to very dangerous places and fight to defend this country, and early on, of course, most of our wars and battles took place on our soil or nearby, and later on ended up in places like Belleau Wood and Guadalcanal and Normandy.

But nonetheless, that duty of trust between average Americans, working Americans, and the Commander in Chief was a very important thing, and his moral authority to draft young men was very important.

In fact, I think the draft only passed by one vote in 1941, and the Democrat Speaker of this House, Sam Rayburn, made his great speech in which he said to his colleagues, when it was clear that it was unpopular to draft people, but we knew we were going to have to, he said, "Sometimes you have to lean against the wind; sometimes you have to do things that are difficult." So we passed that draft law.

I think the unanswered question that many American families are thinking about is this: Can we ever give the moral authority to this Governor named Bill Clinton who himself, when he was called, whether the war was considered by him to be a good or bad war, he was called to take the place of another young man to go to Vietnam and to fight for his country, and he refused to do that. In evaluating the series of his turns that he made from going in and out of the ROTC, and once he got a high draft number, going the other direction, demonstrating in Great Britain and at a time when Great Britain was sending war materiel to the people who were killing Americans, to North Vietnam, and we were at the time very concerned about that.

Would that man, Governor Clinton, ever have the moral authority? Because it takes moral authority. You cannot think, if you have an American family that feels that the Commander in Chief, has no moral authority to take their young man, because he himself has evaded the draft, then you do not have enough policemen in America, and you do not have enough military policy in America to go door to door and to build an army based on unwilling families who do not want to give up their young people because they think the Commander in Chief does not have the moral authority to ask them to do what he refused to do himself, so that he could "remain politically viable."

I think that is the point that American families are contemplating right now and, you know, this position of commander in Chief is a pretty important position.

I do not know if Americans realize it, but there are so many elements that go into making economic policies. This Congress has a great deal to do with either making economic policy in cooperation with the President or blocking his economic policy, as the gentleman has seen many times when he offers or when he requests a balanced budget, a line item veto, a capital gains tax cut, to get people working again; many, many elements are engaged in making economic policy.

But only one person is engaged in being the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, and that is the President. Our first President, George Washington, had those words said about him, "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Yep, just a pork barrel lazy congressman. Lets look at some of that pork shall we:

**Cosponsored H.R. 4449 - The Social Security Alien and Foreign Resident Limitations Act of 1981, which sought to “amend title II of the Social Security Act to limit benefits in the case of individuals who are not citizens or nationals of the United States or who are residing abroad.” – Congressional Record, September, 1981

**Sponsored H.R. 2534 - A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Attorney General to accept donated horses for use in patrolling the borders of the United States. – Congressional Record, April, 1983

**Voted against S.1200, The Immigration and Control Act of 1986, which included TITLE II -”ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS OF CERTAIN ENTRANTS BEFORE JANUARY 1, 1982, TO THAT OF PERSON ADMITTED FOR LAWFUL RESIDENCE (Amnesty). – Congressional Record, October 1986.

**Cosponsored H.R. 2964, The Comprehensive Border Control Act of 1991 - Directs the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to make specified improvements in border enforcement and security. – Congressional Record, July, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 3438, The Immigration Document Fraud Prevention Act of 1991 To prevent immigration document fraud, and for other purposes. - Congressional Record, October, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 3439, the Improved Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 1991 – Increases FY 1993 personnel levels and funding for the Border Patrol, Increases for FY 1993 the number of Assistant United States Attorney positions, and assigns such additional personnel to prosecute persons who harbor or bring into the United States illegal aliens. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties for harboring or bringing into the United States aliens for profit. – Congressional Record, October, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 3440, the Employer Sanctions Improvements Act of 1991 – Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide for the issuance of new counterfeit-resistant social security cards to employable aliens solely for the purpose of providing employment eligibility. – Congressional Record, October, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 3441, To prohibit direct Federal financial benefits and unemployment benefits for illegal aliens. – Congressional record, October, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 3442, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit transportation of illegal aliens for purposes of employment. – Congressional Record, October, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 4134, The California-Mexico Border Drug Trafficking Reduction Act - Directs the Attorney General, to prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States, to take action to: (1) acquire a permanent easement for the United States extending 50 feet outwards along the length of the U.S.-Mexican border in California for the purpose of erecting and maintaining a security fence and access road; and (2) establish a 500-feet setback along the length of such border for the purpose of restricting any development within such setback. – Congressional Record, June, 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 4754, To provide for 2,000 additional border patrol agents from military personnel displaced by defense cutbacks. – Congressional Record, April 1991.

**Cosponsored H.R. 709, The California-Mexico Border Drug Trafficking Reduction Act - Directs the Attorney General, to prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States, to take action to: (1) acquire a permanent easement for the United States extending 50 feet outwards along the length of the U.S.-Mexican border in California for the purpose of erecting and maintaining a security fence and access road; and (2) establish a 500-feet setback along the length of such border for the purpose of restricting any development within such setback. – Congressional Record, February 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R. 852, To authorize additional appropriations to increase border patrol personnel to 6,800 by the end of fiscal year 1995 and to make available amounts in the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund for the additional border patrol personnel. – Congressional Record, February 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R. 985, To include infection with the agent for acquired immune deficiency syndrome as a communicable disease of public health significance for which an alien is excludable under the Immigration and Nationality Act. – Congressional Record, February 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R., the Improved Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 1993- Amends the Act to increase penalties for harboring or bringing into the United States aliens for profit and expresses the sense of the Senate that the Attorney General and the Secretary of State should initiate programs with Mexico and Canada to prevent and prosecute the smuggling of aliens into the United States. – Congressional Record, February 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R. 1080, To prohibit direct Federal financial benefits and unemployment benefits for aliens who are not lawful permanent residents. – Congressional Record, March 1993

**Cosponsored H.R. 1082, To provide for 2,500 additional border patrol agents from military personnel displaced by defense cutbacks. – Congressional Record, March 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R. 1191, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to limit citizenship at birth, merely by virtue of birth in the United States, to persons with citizen or legal resident mothers. – Congressional Record, March 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R. 1355, The Exclusion and Asylum Reform Amendments of 1993 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create grounds for exclusion of an alien who: (1) uses or attempts to use a fraudulent document to enter the United States, or to board a common carrier for such purpose; or (2) uses a document to board a common carrier and then fails to present such document to an immigration official upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry. – Congressional Record, April 1993.

**Sponsored H.R. 2018, to Prohibit an eligible State from receiving State Legalization Impact Assistance Grants until the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Border Patrol certify that the State is cooperating in the apprehension, detention, and transfer of illegal immigrants. – Congressional Record, May 1993

**Sponsored H.R. 2646, To direct that certain Federal financial benefits be provided only to citizens and nationals of the United States. – Congressional Record, August 1993

**Cosponsored H.R. 2859, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that public ceremonies for the admission of new citizens shall be conducted solely in English. – Congressional Record, August 1993.

**Cosponsored H.R. 3105, To restructure the enforcement components of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. – Congressional Record, September 1993

**Cosponsored H.R. 3284, Entitled the “Asylum Abuse Prevention Act of 1993”. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the United States from granting asylum to an alien who prior to U.S. arrival passes through another country which provides asylum or safe haven. – Congressional Record, October 1993

**Cosponsored H.R. 3320, the Immigration Stabilization Act of 1993: To curb criminal activity by aliens, to defend against acts of international terrorism, to protect American workers from unfair labor competition, and to relieve pressure on public services by strengthening border security and stabilizing immigration into the United States. – Congressional Record, October 1993

**Cosponsored H.R. 3869, the Illegal Immigration Control Act of 1994: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and other laws of the United States relating to border security, illegal immigration, alien eligibility for Federal financial benefits and services, criminal activity by aliens, alien smuggling, fraudulent document use by aliens, asylum, terrorist aliens, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, May 1994

**Sponsored H.AMDT 191 to H.R. 2519, an Amendment to increase by $60 million the funds appropriated in the bill for salaries and expenses within the Immigration and Naturalization Service. – Congressional Record, July 1993

**Sponsored H.AMDT to H.R. 4092. The Amendment authorizes the hiring of an additional 6,000 Border Patrol Agents and support staff over the next five fiscal years. – Congressional Record, April 1994

**Cosponsored H.R. 372, the Immigrant Financial Responsibility and Sponsorship Act of 1995 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) revise the public charge grounds for excludability; and (2) set forth sponsor financial responsibility requirements. - Congressional Record, January 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 375, To provide for asylum reform, prohibition of Federal benefits to certain aliens, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, January 1995.

**Cosponsored H.R. 387, To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense to assign Department of Defense personnel to assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service perform their border protection functions. – Congressional Record, June 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 592, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to repeal the provision allowing adjustment of status of unlawful aliens in the United States. – Congressional Record, January 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 739, Declaration of Official Language Act of 1995 - Declares English to be the official language of the U.S. Government. States that English is the preferred language of communication among U.S. citizens. Requires the U.S. Government to promote and support the use of English for communications among U.S. citizens. Requires communications by officers and employees of the U.S. Government with U.S. citizens to be in English. – Congressional Record, February 1995

**Sponsored H.R. 756 and H.R. 1018, the Illegal Immigration Control Acts of 1995: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act and other laws of the United States relating to border security, illegal immigration, alien eligibility for Federal financial benefits and services, criminal activity by aliens, alien smuggling, fraudulent document use by aliens, asylum, terrorist aliens, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, January and February 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 1363, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny citizenship at birth to children born in the United States of parents who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens. – Congressional Record, March 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 1377, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize States to deny public education benefits to aliens not lawfully present in the United States. – Congressional Record, April 1995

**Sponsored H.R. 1658, To enhance border security in the vicinity of San Diego, California through the construction and improvement of physical barriers at the United States border and through the forward deployment of Border Patrol agents to the border. (San Diego Border Fence Bill) – Congressional Record, May 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 1915 and H.R. 2202, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to improve deterrence of illegal immigration to the United States by increasing border patrol and investigative personnel, by increasing penalties for alien smuggling and for document fraud, by reforming exclusion and deportation law and procedures, by improving the verification system for eligibility for employment, and through other measures, to reform the legal immigration system and facilitate legal entries into the United States, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, August and September 1995

**Cosponsored H.R. 3724, To improve the integrity of the Social Security card and to provide for criminal penalties for fraud and related activity involving work authorization documents for purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act. – Congressional Record, June 1996

**Cosponsored H.R. 7, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny citizenship at birth to children born in the United States of parents who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens. – Congressional Record, June 1996

**Cosponsored H.R. 849, To prohibit an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States from receiving assistance under the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. – Congressional record, February 1997

**Cosponsored H.R. 901, To preserve the sovereignty of the United States over public lands and acquired lands owned by the United States, and to preserve State sovereignty and private property rights in non-Federal lands surrounding those public lands and acquired lands. – Congressional Record, February 1997

**Cosponsored H.R. 1428, the Voter Eligibility Verification Act: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a system through which the Commissioner of Social Security and the Attorney General respond to inquiries made by election officials concerning the citizenship of voting registration applicants and to amend the Social Security Act to permit States to require individuals registering to vote in elections to provide the individual’s Social Security number. – Congressional Record, April 1997

**Cosponsored H.R. 1493, To require the Attorney General to establish a program in local prisons to identify, prior to arraignment, criminal aliens and aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States, and for other purposes. – Congressional record, May, 1997

**Cosponsored H.R. 2356, To amend the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to eliminate certain provisions relating to bilingual voting requirements. – Congressional Record, July 1997

**Cosponsored H.R. 2922, To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense to assign members of the Armed Forces, under certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions, to assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service in the performance of border protection functions. – Congressional Record, November 1997

**Sponsored H.R. 3858, To assure drug-free borders by increasing penalties for certain drug-related offenses, to enhance law enforcement efforts for counter-drug activities, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, May 1998.

**Cosponsored H.R. 38, To repeal the (Clinton) National Voter Registration Act of 1993. – Congressional Record, January 1999

**Cosponsored H.R. 73, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny citizenship at birth to children born in the United States of parents who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens. – Congressional Record, January 1999

**Cosponsored H.R. 123, To amend title 4, United States Code, to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States. - Congressional Record, January 1999

**Cosponsored H.R. 191, To improve the integrity of the Social Security card and to provide for criminal penalties for fraud and related activity involving work authorization documents for purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act. – Congressional Record, January 1999

**Cosponsored H.R. 628, To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense to assign members of the Armed Forces, under certain circumstances and subject to certain conditions, to assist the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service in the performance of border protection functions. – Congressional Record, February 1999

**Cosponsored H.R. 2528, To establish the Bureau of Immigration Services and the Bureau of Immigration Enforcement within the Department of Justice. – Congressional Record, July 1999

**Cosponsored H.R. 4282, To provide Federal reimbursement for indirect costs relating to the incarceration of illegal aliens and for emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens. – Congressional Record, April 2000

**Sponsored H.AMDT 581, an amendment to H.R. 5005, to express the sense of the Congress that completion of the San Diego Border Fence Project is a priority of the DHS. – Congressional Record, July 2002

**Cosponsored H.R. 10, To provide for reform of the intelligence community, terrorism prevention and prosecution, border security, and international cooperation and coordination, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, September 2004

**Cosponsored H.R. 502, To require identification that may be used in obtaining Federal public benefits to meet restrictions ensuring that it is secure and verifiable. – Congressional Record, January 2003

**Cosponsored H.R. 687, To prohibit the Federal Government from accepting a form of identification issued by a foreign government, except for a passport that is accepted for such a purpose on the date of enactment of this Act. – Congressional Record, February 2003

**Cosponsored H.R. 993, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2004 through 2010 to carry out the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. – Congressional Record, February 2003

**Sponsored H.R. 1392, To require inspection of all cargo on commercial trucks and vessels entering the United States. – Congressional Record, March 2003

**Cosponsored H.R. 1557, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny citizenship at birth to children born in the United States of parents who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens. – Congressional Record, April 2003

**Cosponsored H.R. 2671, the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2003 or the CLEAR Act of 2003 - States that: (1) State and local law enforcement personnel are fully authorized to investigate, apprehend, or remove aliens in the United States (including interstate transportation of such aliens to detention centers) in the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws; and (2) a State that does not have a statute permitting enforcement of Federal immigration laws within two years of enactment of this Act shall not receive certain Federal incarceration assistance. – Congressional Record, July 2003

**Sponsored H.R. 3235, To amend title 23, United States Code, to withhold highway funds from States that issue drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens. – Congressional record, October 2003

**Cosponsored H.R. 19, To require employers to conduct employment eligibility verification to prevent illegal aliens from working in the United States. – Congressional Record, January 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 98, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to enforce restrictions on employment in the United States of unauthorized aliens through the use of improved Social Security cards and an Employment Eligibility Database, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, January 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 698, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to deny citizenship at birth to children born in the United States of parents who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens. – Congressional Record, February 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 3171, To provide for enhanced Federal, State, and local assistance in the enforcement of the immigration laws, to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act, to authorize appropriations to carry out the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, June 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 3938, the Enforcement First Immigration Reform Act of 2005. Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act and other immigration-related provisions with respect to: (1) enforcement and detention of, and criminal penalties for, illegal aliens; (2) the institutional removal (IRP) and criminal alien assistance (SCAAP) programs; (3) alien smuggling, document fraud, gang violence, and drug trafficking; (4) border security, personnel increases, and border-related assignment of armed forces members; (5) provision of social security numbers; (6) work authorization and enforcement; (7) secure identification standards, including birth certificates; (8) reform of legal immigration, including elimination of the diversity lottery visa category and certain limitations on entrants from Mexico; (9) citizenship reform, including limitations on citizenship by birth; and (10) wages paid to unauthorized aliens. – Congressional Record, September 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 4032, To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to expedited removal under section 235(b)(1)(A)(iii)(I) of such Act and to amend the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit issuance of residential mortgages to illegal aliens. – Congressional Record, October 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 4083, the Border Security Improvement Act - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to: (1) make the Secretary of Homeland Security rather than the Attorney General responsible for border barrier improvements; and (2) direct the Secretary to provide for construction of a fence along the entire U.S. southern border. – Congressional Record, October 2005

**Sponsored H.R. 4313, the TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act of 2005 - Sets forth border security-related provisions, including provisions respecting: (1) construction of fencing and security improvements in the the Pacific Ocean-Gulf of Mexico border area; (2) increased availability of Department of Defense (DOD) equipment on the southern border; and (3) construction of additional ports of entry. – Congressional Record, November 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 4360, To enforce law and order by establishing a program to authorize, fund, and otherwise assist local Sheriffs’ offices in designated counties to provide a second line of defense alongside and in close cooperation with the United States Customs Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to conduct law enforcement operations in their counties along the southern international border of the United States, and to prevent lawlessness in border areas. – Congressional Record, November 2005

**Cosponsored H.R. 6015, To enhance border security through the use of temporary support personnel, expansion of Border Patrol agent training, increased hiring authority, support for local law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes. – Congressional Record, July 2006

**Wrote and Cosponsored H.R. 6061, Secure Fence Act of 2006 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 18 months of enactment of this Act, to take appropriate actions to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders, including: (1) systematic border surveillance through more effective use of personnel and technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based sensors, satellites, radar coverage, and cameras; and (2) physical infrastructure enhancements to prevent unlawful border entry and facilitate border access by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, such as additional checkpoints, all weather access roads, and vehicle barriers. – Congressional Record, September 2006

**Sponsored H.AMDT to amend H.R. 4437. Amendment mandates the construction of specific security fencing, including lights and cameras, along the Southwest border for the purposes of gaining operational control of the border; designates fencing in specific sectors; and includes a requirement for the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study on the use of physical barriers along the northern international land and maritime border of the United States. – Congressional Record, December 2005

**Cosponsored H.CON.RES 40, Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada. – Congressional Record, January 2007

**Cosponsored H.CON.RES 83, Expressing the sense of the Congress that State and local governments should be supported for taking actions to discourage illegal immigration and that legislation should be enacted to ease the burden on State and local governments for taking such actions. – Congressional Record, March 2007

**Cosponsored H.R. 19, To require employers to conduct employment eligibility verification to prevent illegal aliens from working in the United States. – Congressional Record, January 2007

**Sponsored H.R. 1756, To prohibit Mexico-domiciled motor carriers from operating beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border until certain conditions are met to ensure the safety of such operations. – Congressional Record, March 2007

**Cosponsored H.R. 1940, To amend section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth. – Congressional Record, April 2007

**Cosponsored H.R. 2508, To require Federal contractors to participate in the basic pilot program for employment eligibility verification to prevent illegal aliens from working in the United States. - Congressional Record, May 2007

**Sponsored H.AMDT 630 to amend H.R. 3074. An amendment prohibiting the use of funds to participate in a working group pursuant to the Security and Prosperity Partnership. – Congressional Record, July 2007

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.