Wendy Sherman: “let me begin with a commentary on the comments from the gentlewoman from Georgia, who quoted French sources as…”

“let me begin with a commentary on the comments from the gentlewoman from Georgia, who quoted French sources as criticizing as inadequate our relief supplies to the people of Afghanistan. I agree we should do as much as we can to feed the people of Afghanistan and to get that food to them. And I admire the courage of American pilots who are doing just that, but let us put this into context. During World War I and World War II, the French did very little to deliver food to the Germans. In fact, it really was not part of our strategy during World War II to drop food onto German cities; and in fact, the French, aspiring for their own freedom, cheered as we bombed Dresden, not with food but with bombs. America has reached a new level of humaneness in its decision that not only does it wage war against a government, the Taliban, but it also wages food aid to the civilians under the control of that government. And I think that we should first give America credit for reaching this new plateau in humaneness before we criticize the fact that we are not doing enough, and I am sure that we will do more. I rise chiefly to deal with the economic effects of the September 11 catastrophe. I urge that what we do be temporary, be fast, and be consistent with our Nation's long-term budgetary and fiscal needs.”