Mark Kirk: “history has an uncanny way of reminding us of our own motivation. When General Marshall outlined his program to help…”

“history has an uncanny way of reminding us of our own motivation. When General Marshall outlined his program to help Europe, he did not know 30 years later the United States would stand at a similar crossroads. The 400,000 Americans killed in World War II paid the ultimate price for the mistakes made after World War I. And following the second European war, the continent ran out of food and suffered from runaway inflation and turned to communism. Learning the lessons of World War I, we came forward with the Marshall Plan, and it went beyond feeding the hungry and laid the foundation for the post-war recovery. Unlocking the potential of Europe, revitalizing the economies of 17 countries, expanding foreign trade, striking a blow against communism, these were all worthy goals but they cost an expensive $105 billion. We are at a similar crossroad now. We know that President Truman's decision to back the Marshall Plan helped prevent World War III. A third generation of Americans did not return to Europe, and today we face similar questions. In the House of Representatives as we debate $19 billion for Iraq, we consider Truman's question: How much would you pay to avoid World War III? And the answer from the American people was $105 billion.”