Political Quotes

“At 10:40 a.m. Tuesday morning along the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, North Korean soldiers exchanged heavy gunfire with South Korean troops. This is accurately described as the most serious clash on the Korean Peninsula since a North Korean submarine full of special forces went aground off South Korea's coast last September. According to news reports, 14 North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line and traveled 70 meters into the DMZ. South Korean border guards used a loudspeaker to order the North Koreans back. When the North Koreans failed to respond, South Korean soldiers fired some 200 warning shots in the air. The North Koreans responded by firing their rifles at the South Korean soldiers, who then directed fire at the North Koreans using rifles and machine guns. North Korean soldiers returned fire. And although reports are in dispute, it appears there was at least one mortar round fired by the North Koreans. The firefight lasted for over 1 hour before the North Koreans stopped firing and withdrew. Mr. President. Why do I come to the floor and talk about an artillery exchange thousands of miles away? There are several good reasons why Americans should pay attention to what is going on on the Korean Peninsula. First, I don't need to remind my colleagues that I am talking about the DMZ where 37,000 American troops stand guard across from a 1.1 million man North Korean army.”