Gary Hart: “I stand in support of the supplemental and opposed to the amendment. $67 billion for our troops, $19 billion for…”

“I stand in support of the supplemental and opposed to the amendment. $67 billion for our troops, $19 billion for reconstruction should be a grant. This is simply the right thing for us to do. This Congress voted to support the President and our military action in Iraq. The United States does as it usually does and took the lead in freeing the Iraqi people from a tyrannical dictator, and we have succeeded. The job is not complete. We cannot say we did half the job that we decided to do and then ask someone else to pay us to finish the job. We removed Iraq from the list of countries supporting terrorism. We are currently in a struggle to rebuild that country, to help the good people of Iraq to take back their country. Our military, together with our State Department, together with dedicated Iraqis are working together to defeat the remnants of Hussein's regime and to move toward a better future. Already, schools have opened, businesses are opening. People are going back to their lives. They have a hopeful future. They are making great progress.”