Barbara Mikulski: “I am proud to have voted for Senator McConnell's resolution commending America's Armed Forces. It is right for us to…”

“I am proud to have voted for Senator McConnell's resolution commending America's Armed Forces. It is right for us to thank our troops for their service. It is right to thank military families for their sacrifice. It is right to thank great organizations like the USO for their support to our men and women in uniform. However, I am puzzled by some of the findings in the McConnell amendment. We were all told last year that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and was ready to use them. Well, the jury is still out on that. But press reports suggest that Dr. Kay's team has not yet found any actual weapons. So I am not sure it is accurate to say the war ended Iraq's WMD programs. The Bush administration now acknowledges that there is no evidence of ties between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaida and the September 11 attacks. Yet the amendment seems to combine Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom as 'two campaigns in the Global War on Terrorism.' I am not sure what 'terrorist infrastructure' was destroyed in Iraq. Some reports indicate the terrorist presence in Iraq has actually increased since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. I just don't want anyone to think my vote means I agree with every word of this amendment. I voted for the McConnell amendment because I absolutely stand behind our troops and their families.”