Bob Dole: “I watched with horror yesterday as the media displayed the images of crowded streets, in Fallujah--and burning bodies in…”

“I watched with horror yesterday as the media displayed the images of crowded streets, in Fallujah--and burning bodies in the center of that horrific celebration. In the middle of that city that is part of the volatile Sunni Triangle, four Americans were attacked, executed, and then burned as a mob of Iraqis danced around the corpses. I found it hard to believe I was watching a news program, given that the scene playing out before my eyes looked far more like a gruesome movie than tragic reality. Sadly, it was a reality--and that reality continues today. Families have been notified that their loved ones were among the four casualties and are mourning the loss of these brave souls. My home state of North Carolina grieves today as well. The four men who were brutally assassinated yesterday were employees from Blackwater Security Consulting, based in a city in northeastern North Carolina. Preliminary reports tell us that three had been Navy SEALs and one had been an Army Ranger. The four contractors were stationed in Fallujah to provide a convoy of security--the very purpose of their presence was to protect the lives of Iraqi men and women and they in turn were subjected to such barbaric and despicable acts. Yesterday's attack on these innocent men only further illustrates the evil influence Saddam Hussein still has over so many Iraqis.”