In a discussion last night sponsored by the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) praised the international response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but warned that "public support will wane" for military efforts in Afghanistan if forces experience heavy casualties or the campaign is extended without visible success.
Nelson, who serves on both the Armed Services and the Foreign Relations Committees, answered questions for almost two hours on the war against terrorism, the importance of dependable intelligence, domestic security, the Middle East peace process and the prospect of biological warfare against the United States.
"We need to speed up research on anti-biological terrorism procedures," Nelson said, referring to the recent incidence of anthrax scares. "We should increase security around power plants and water treatment centers as well."
In one of many candid responses, the freshman senator said that the United States "is at war and ... if we get the opportunity, we will assassinate Osama bin Laden."
"Sometimes you worry about a speaker giving only the politically correct answers, but Senator Nelson did not beat around the bush," said Jefferson Society President Brian Boyle. "It was refreshing at this time to get some straight talk from our national leaders."
The Florida senator, who is also the vice-chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, took the opportunity to fire a few partisan shots at the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
"I am a moderate Democrat and I have always reached across the partisan divide to bring people together. Having said that, this is one of the most partisan, narrow, ideological White Houses I have ever seen," Nelson said. In reference to a recent dispute over information sharing between the Bush Administration and Congress, the senator criticized the "political hotheads in the White House" for not being forthcoming with information regarding national security.
Nelson did praise the State Department's effort to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan. "I was very heartened when Secretary [of State Colin] Powell told the Foreign Relations Committee that the humanitarian effort would be as important as the military operation," he said.
In response to a question about the status of the Arab-Israeli peace process, Nelson said that while there is no easy solution, there must be "serious give on both sides in order to achieve a lasting peace. We are Israel's friend and we will continue to be."
As for domestic issues like a patients rights bill and campaign finance reform, he said that they are "off the table" and "will not see the light of day under this horror of war."
Nelson, who is a graduate of the University's Law School, said his time at the University "instilled in me a sense of public purpose." He was elected to the United States Senate last year after serving six years as Florida's Insurance Commissioner and is also a member of the Budget and Commerce Committees.
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