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Tavis: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is serving her sixth term in the house from her home district of Houston, Texas. She's been called one of the 50 most effective members in Congress by Congressional Quarterly, and named one of the 100 most fascinating Black women of the century by 'Ebony' magazine.

Among her key committee assignments, Homeland Security and Judiciary. She joins us tonight from Houston. Congresswoman, nice to have you on the program.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee: It's a pleasure to be with you, as well. How are you, and, and good evening to everyone.

Tavis: Glad to have you on the program. We are, in just a matter of months, September, of course, to be exact, five years away from 9/11. Has bin Laden been forgotten?

Lee: Well, I think bin Laden has been has been scapegoated, and let me explain that to you. It's been such a focus, as the President seems to want to convince the American people, on catching Osama bin Laden, that we really haven't focused on the fact that Al-Qaeda is not necessarily one individual, it is a massive operation.

It is also militant Islam. And it is many organizations. And so by falsely presenting to the American people that if we catch Osama bin Laden we'll end the war on terror, we've not been forthright, we've not focused our resources, and we also have not designed a political foreign policy approach to address the question of making more friends than enemies.

Tavis: I want to talk more about what you've just put out now in just a second, but let me stay with bin Laden for just a moment. I hear the point you've made about the fact you don't want to put too much focus on catching him. On the other hand, again, it's been almost five years now, in a few months down the road.

This new tape that surfaced last week reminds us again he's alive and well, and still talking to those who will listen. What should the American public make of the fact when all has been said and done, more has been said than done. That he ain't been caught yet?

Lee: Well, that's a very good point. And I think what the American people should take from that is that the administration has frankly failed in its original point that we were going with all of our resources after Osama bin Laden. That would have been the right approach after the horrific tragedy of 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, and to keep the world focused on Osama bin Laden.

But unfortunately, we have been distracted enormously in resources and intellect by the war in Iraq. Not only that, we've lost the enormous world capital, if you will, good will, to join us in a multifaceted effort to find Osama bin Laden. And so we keep talking about him, but because our resources are so stretched in Afghanistan, in Iraq, now with our eye focusing on Iran, we have not given all of the resources that we need.

And one last point, I think we need a reordering, a refocus on our intelligence resources and staffing and collaboration. That was one of the issues after 9/11. The commission said we must reinforce our intelligence authorities and their resources.

Tavis: Last night on this program we had Islamic expert and author Reza Aslan on this show, and Reza and I were talking last night about the fact that in this tape released days ago by Mr. bin Laden, we know of course he offered a truce. Basically said to the US that you gotta get out of Iraq, get out of Afghanistan, and maybe there'll be some peace.

We talked last night about whether or not to believe that, whether or not we can accept that. What I did not get to last night with Reza that I wanna now get to you, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, is this other part of the tape where bin Laden says to us we are going to get hit. He's talking to the American people and saying, you are going to get hit again.

Our plans are underway. So I ask you, again, as a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, how safe are we, and how comfortable are you with the plans that are being made when you have a guy like bin Laden telling you, we gonna hit you again?

Lee: Tavis, there are a lot of good intentions, and obviously the formation of the Homeland Security Department, and now the oversight committees in Congress was one of the first steps taken. But frankly, we have many miles to travel in really responding to a challenge and a terrorist like Osama bin Laden. There are many things we have not done. We don't have an integrated watch list, for example.

The database is not as accurate as we would like it to be. We don't have the ability to inspect all air cargo that goes on board of international or domestic flights. Our ports are questionable. There's still a possibility of tainting our water and our food. So the real issue, I think, one of the key elements, major elements of the tragedy of 9/11 was faulty intelligence. I still believe that part of the battle is preventing this act.

And still we're fighting to have the kind of integrated intelligence, whether CIA, the FBI, local law enforcement, other law enforcement, are talking to each other and gathering the same intelligence or responding to each other by sharing intelligence. I won't be comfortable; I won't feel that we've reached that point where we can really be as responsible as possible until we have the integrated intelligence system.

And that's something that requires Bush administration to give more resources, and again, when you're fighting a war like Iraq, drawing so much of our resources, five billion dollars a month, it makes it difficult to focus totally on the war on terror.

Tavis: Speaking of the Bush administration and your comfort level or lack thereof, over the last few days, the President himself, and indeed Mr. Cheney, the Vice President, have been giving speeches everywhere, defending this government surveillance that came to light some weeks ago. Again, as a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, your thoughts on the spying that our government has been doing of late.

Lee: That is what I call an enormous distraction, and again, misrepresentation to the American people. I think the numbers 19,000 and five should be said over and over again. There have been 19,000 requests granted by the FISA court, and five not granted. And so for the President and the administration to make the point that we are stifling their ability to protect us against terror is faulty.

It is very clear that the law makes all kinds of leeways. This is an established FISA court. Maybe many people don't know. It's a separate body of judges who are bound to silence on what they are reviewing. And they are there to one, be reasonable in the instances where the government comes to them. Nine times and a half and three-quarters and seven-eighths, they have granted those warrants.

In addition, you are allowed to go forward, go ahead and do what you have to do. You can also come back to the court after the fact. It is clear one of the very important points were made after the war on terror or after the 9/11 tragedy was the question of whether or not we were going to be terrorized into eliminating our own Constitutional rights.

That's what this administration wants the American people to succumb to, and frankly, they do not have to do that to be safe. The FISA courts, the FISA laws, are adequate for the President to protect us. And spying is what it is, spying.

Tavis: Speaking of civil liberties, we all know, of course, that the Patriot Act basically been put on hold. Congress, the Senate, specifically gave President an extension on the Patriot Act, and will, of course, next month or in the coming weeks see an all-out debate, I suspect, on whether or not the Patriot Act will, in fact, be renewed in its entirety for another term, whatever that might be.

But let me ask you right quick, as that debate is on hold at the moment, your thoughts on how we're doing, balancing fighting a war on terror, and maintaining the civil liberties of all Americans.

Lee: I think if we would just have an administration that would simply listen to the American people, Republicans and Democrats, this issue of the Patriot Act is a bipartisan question for those of us who believe very strongly in civil liberties, but also are reasonable, to realize our duty and responsibility to secure the homeland.

The simple request to the administration is to accept a four-year sunset on some of the more heinous aspects of the Patriot Act, including the ability to find out information about library books, and the ability to spy on Americans in particular, or the warrantless wiretaps. Why we could not get a reasonable agreement is the difficulty that comes about when you have an administration that believes it is all powerful, it is, dominates the Supreme Court, it dominates the Executive and the House and the Senate.

That's why we're continuing this debate. It has nothing to do with our opposition to a Patriot Act which will give more tools to law enforcement. In addition, experts will tell you that law enforcement really has about 80 percent of the tools already. But the key element of why we're opposing this Patriot Act, those of us who are on the team, if you will.

Alan EVANS: Republicans and Democrats wanting to hold the Patriot Act up is because we simply want the ability to sunset some of the more difficult provisions. What does that mean? The ability to review them in four years, and not seven years and 12 years, or to make them permanent.

Tavis: I've only got 30 seconds left. Let me ask you right quick, since you represent Texas, a border state, and you're on the Homeland Security Committee, again, how are we doing on border security in this country?

Lee: We have the wrong attitude altogether. We are scapegoating immigrants that are in this country, and not looking to giving more resources to our border patrol agents. I have a bill, the Rapid Response Border Protection Act, supported by the Border Patrol Agents Organization, and what it does is it puts in the hands of border patrol agents helicopters, power boats, computers, night goggles.

It gives them academic training. It hires 26,000 border patrol agents. That is more effective than a fence. That is more effective than scapegoating. It is to secure the borders by providing the personnel that we need. I hope Americans wake up and recognize that that's the fault of this government, is in not providing those resources.

Tavis: She's a member of the Homeland Security Committee, a democrat out of Texas. Sheila Jackson Lee. Congresswoman, as always, thanks for your insight and nice to have you on the program.

Lee: Thank you for having me.

Tavis: Up next on this program, the unique jazz trio, Soulive. Stay with us.