Max Cleland: “I cannot express strongly enough what an honor it is to be on the floor of the Senate and listen to my distinguished…”

“I cannot express strongly enough what an honor it is to be on the floor of the Senate and listen to my distinguished colleague talk about the need for a meaningful dialog on a subject that often gets put down at the bottom of the list when it comes to public issues. I am reminded of a line from one of Wellington's troops after the battle at Waterloo, after the battle was won, that in time of war, and not before, God of the soldier, men adore; but in time of peace, with all things righted, God is forgotten and the soldier slighted. Unfortunately, I think my dear colleague, Senator Pat Roberts, and I have sensed that the vital interests of the United States, the interests that cause us to go to war, the interests that compel us to fight for our vital national interests, these basic fundamental principles have been lost in the shuffle. Somehow they have been slighted and somehow the issue of foreign policy and defense has been shoved to the background.”