Barbara Boxer: “I rise today, as we debate the Defense Appropriations bill, to talk about the leadership of the Secretary of Defense and…”

“I rise today, as we debate the Defense Appropriations bill, to talk about the leadership of the Secretary of Defense and to relay to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle what I heard, as I was out and about in California, about his comments and the need, in my opinion, to change direction at the Department of Defense. During this break, I was home in California working. There is a lot of anxiety in the land. Today, a new poll came out and showed a huge percentage of the American people--a huge percentage--angry, actually angry about what is happening in this country today. If you probe and find out, there are many issues. They are angry about the economy, which they are part of, where they see corporate profits way up but wages stagnant or falling--wages that cannot even keep up with inflation. They are angry at deficits. They are angry at debt. They are angry at good jobs going overseas. They are angry at the oil companies. They are angry at this Congress for doing nothing about that, not even supporting antigouging legislation. But the one thing they are angry and upset about more than any other is the war in Iraq. So I think it is time that the Senate go on record and state very clearly that we are not satisfied with the way things are going. We are angry as well. We are upset as well.…”