Kendrick Meek: “once again, as I always say, it is a pleasure to address the House of Representatives and the American people. Tonight I…”

“once again, as I always say, it is a pleasure to address the House of Representatives and the American people. Tonight I will be joined by some of my colleagues who will this evening be talking about the issue that is facing not only our military but our future as we start to deal with this effort against terrorism. First of all, I would like to give my condolences to the family that lost their loved one that was held hostage. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family and your local community. Unfortunately, all too often now, violence has played such a very strong role in the way not only Americans live but also how individuals live abroad. I just would like to make some opening comments. When we start talking about how we entered Iraq, claiming we were better than the dictator Saddam Hussein, which I do believe very strongly we are still, there are some decisions that are being made that are putting into jeopardy how the world feels about the United States of America and also how the world views our moral high ground, or what is left of it as it relates to abuse. I think it is important for us to remember that Iraqis at the beginning gave us a great deal of credit. They were believing that we would deliver on our promise of providing security, safety and democracy that they could believe in and live under. Now revelations of prisoner mistreatment have really clouded the minds of many Iraqis that had hoped.”