Barbara Boxer: “I thank Senator Leahy, from the bottom of my heart, for his words about this extraordinary young woman; more than that…”

“I thank Senator Leahy, from the bottom of my heart, for his words about this extraordinary young woman; more than that, to him and his staff for believing in her. That took a leap of faith, that a woman so young could come in and present as compelling a case as she did. Of course, she went right to the Senator, that is for sure, because of the work he has done for human rights in the world. She knew what she was doing. But you heard her and Tim and you rolled up your sleeves and created a program that the entire Senate backed and the entire Congress backed to help the innocent victims of war--those who are unfortunately sometimes called ``collateral damage''; we have names for that. Clearly, what Marla did, by recognizing that these people needed help, she was doing God's work. But she also, as the good Senator pointed out, was helping the United States of America because we are in the battle for the hearts and minds of the world. Marla understood that. Amendment No. 444”