Mark Dayton: “I rise this morning first to commend the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, for her efforts to negotiate a cease-fire…”

“I rise this morning first to commend the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, for her efforts to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah and to engage other countries in helping to make and keep peace there. I salute her for her expressed willingness to return to that region as soon as it is practical to achieve her goals. I am appalled, as all civilized people are, by the terrorists' destruction and the maiming and loss of human life in Israel, in Lebanon, and in Gaza. That is why I found it so disturbing that the Lebanese Prime Minister, Fuad Siniora, and his Speaker rejected Secretary Rice's proposals before she had even left their country and was on her way to Israel. The Lebanese Government and the Lebanese people cannot have it both ways. They cannot want an immediate cease-fire on the one hand, yet continue to support Hezbollah as it kidnaps Israeli soldiers inside Israel to start this war and then rain destruction on Israel's cities and civilians. As long as Hezbollah keeps those kidnapped Israeli soldiers and continues to fire its rockets into Israel, there can be no cease-fire and there can be no peace for Lebanon.…”