Cliff Stearns: “today in the Washington Times it was reported that France supplied Iraqi officials passports as they fled U.S. forces…”

“today in the Washington Times it was reported that France supplied Iraqi officials passports as they fled U.S. forces, this allegation coming on the heels of another report that French companies sold military spare parts to Iraq shortly before the war. These passports gave the Iraqis who originally fled into Syria the ability to move freely among 12 European Union countries. This means that France gave Hussein's regime officials a get-out-of-jail-free card to escape. I would like to remind my colleagues that these officials were part of a regime that is responsible for an estimated over 200,000 Iraqis having disappeared over the years, with many of them likely ending up in the secret mass graves that we continue to discover. In reality, this allegation should come as no surprise. Rather than joining in promoting a free Iraq, the sheer magnitude of France's opposition to coalition actions demonstrates an affinity for this despotic regime. As France seeks to repair its friendship with the United States, we should ask the question: With friends like that, who needs enemies?”