Dan Coats: “I rise today to address the legislation that has been offered as an amendment that would cut off all foreign aid to…”

“I rise today to address the legislation that has been offered as an amendment that would cut off all foreign aid to Egypt, Pakistan, and Libya. As I watched our flag being shredded by a gloating mob at the walls of the American Embassy in Cairo, I shared with fellow Hoosiers and Americans a sense of sadness and deep anger. That mob, and the one that led to the death of four American diplomats in Libya, including our Ambassador, or those who stormed our Embassy throughout the Muslim world, showed us again how much contempt and disrespect those people have for the United States and for Americans. Many in those countries clearly still hate us. As displayed on our televisions this past week, the Arab spring is evolving into a very bleak winter. Events this past year, and especially this past week in the Middle East and North Africa, continue to present us with enormous challenges. We have mishandled them badly. No one should be deluded enough to see it in any other way. The best judge of a policy is the results. By that measure our report card is found among the ashes of the consulate in Benghazi. The questions the administration and this body must answer soon is how best to react to this failure and what steps offer the greatest chances of making things right--or, at the very least, making things somewhat better.…”