Kendrick Meek: “I am glad you pointed out the fact that a lot of rubber-stamping is going on. The reason I voted against the Iraq…”

“I am glad you pointed out the fact that a lot of rubber-stamping is going on. The reason I voted against the Iraq resolution today, Mr. Speaker, is I will not dishonor the memory of those individuals that have died and those individuals who have been forever maimed or lost a leg or limb or that mother or that father that will never see their son or daughter, or that child that will never see their father, aunt, uncle or niece again. The reason why I did that is that many men and women in uniform are fighting on behalf of, what, a democracy or something like it. You have a resolution that says, Democrats, we are not even going to allow you to put anything on the floor, we are not going to allow you to amend the resolution. The rules are set on the third floor up here, Mr. Speaker, in the Rules Committee that says we won't even allow an alternative resolution. They say we won't even allow. Yes, welcome to the floor, and you will talk. But you know something? Talk is cheap. Action means everything. So as a member of the Armed Services Committee along with my ranking member and along with a lot of other members of the Armed Services Committee, we voted against the resolution today, not because we believe in something else; we do believe this democracy. But we do believe in a fair debate in oversight and policy. That is why it is important, Mr.…”