Wendy Sherman: “I agree with the last speaker. America's greatest days are yet to come. But not if we make a bunch of stupid decisions…”

“I agree with the last speaker. America's greatest days are yet to come. But not if we make a bunch of stupid decisions here in Washington. The great debate today will be whether the $18 billion going to build Iraq is going as loans or as gifts. H.R. 198 is being brought up at this time as is a bizarre and inadequate fig leaf designed to say, well, it is okay if we give away $18 billion of the taxpayers' money, as long as on the same day we make a request that Germany and France renounce the debts that are owed to them by Saddam Hussein. If we need a Marshall Plan for Iraq, remember, the first step in the Marshall Plan was that Hitler's debts were renounced. Promissory notes signed by Hitler were never paid. And we can make an $18 billion loan to Iraq if it renounces its Saddam debt.”