Cord Byrd: “West Virginians know sacrifice. Families from the Mountain State have lost loved ones in both Iraq and Afghanistan.…”

“West Virginians know sacrifice. Families from the Mountain State have lost loved ones in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Members of the West Virginia National Guard and the members of the Reserves have been deployed around the world, their lives on the line each day in the most dangerous of circumstances. Our troops deserve to be commended, as do all Americans who have supported them: their husbands and wives; their sons and daughters; and all the members of their communities. I have grave concerns for the situations that our troops now find themselves in. In Iraq, constant attacks have caused the toll in American lives to more than double after May 1. In Afghanistan, which is in danger of becoming the forgotten war, Taliban and al-Qaida terrorists are hiding in the mountains, regaining their strength, and plotting against us. I will vote for the resolution that is before the Senate, but only because we must not offend those who have sacrificed in the wars in which the United States is now engaged. It should be a moral obligation to support those who have lost loved ones in battle, and those who wear our Nation's uniform. But I do not agree with many of the where-as clauses to the resolution that are before the Senate. It is wrong to commingle the images of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.”