Cord Byrd: “Let me emphasize I am not asking that it be put off until Tuesday because of my wife's little problem. I said, go ahead…”

“Let me emphasize I am not asking that it be put off until Tuesday because of my wife's little problem. I said, go ahead, if I am 2 hours or 3 hours or 5 hours, I will get there when I can. I would rather you didn't, but in any event, if you do, I am going to be with her. That is an easy choice for me. But I didn't intend to get into the debate about the so-called war on terrorism as being the war in Iraq. I won't do that now. But the distinguished majority leader has opened an avenue for a great deal of debate in which I will partake, if the good Lord lets me live. I am not going to lie down and roll over for that argument that, oh, we are in a war and we have to press ahead here; we have people dying and so on, and we have to do this on Monday or Tuesday. I am as concerned about the people dying as is the distinguished majority leader. I was not for sending our people over there to die. But we won't get into that here. The distinguished Republican leader brought that up. I am only saying I would hope that we would stage the markup at a time when we could have full attendance on both sides.”