Steny Hoyer: “Robert Kennedy once remarked, ``All of us, from the wealthiest and most powerful men, to the weakest and hungriest…”

“Robert Kennedy once remarked, ``All of us, from the wealthiest and most powerful men, to the weakest and hungriest children, share one precious possession, the name American.'' So tonight as our brave men and women in uniform fight for freedom and our security half a world away, we come here not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, Americans united as one in support of our Armed Forces, and for the success of the cause for which they willingly risk their lives. That cause, liberty and freedom from fear, inspired our Founding Fathers 227 years ago, and guides our action today. It is a measure of our Nation's greatness that when freedom's call came at this hour, the finest, best-trained, most skilled and best-equipped military in the history of the world answered the call as previous generations have done. Our thoughts and prayers are with our troops and with the troops of our allies, four of whom also lost their lives this night, and our thoughts as well are with the families who wait. We are with you. We honor you; we honor your sacrifice. We hail your courage, and we pray for your safe return. We are confident that the Iraqi people who have been terrorized for so long under Saddam Hussein's brutal reign will soon throw off the shackles of tyranny and see that your mission has always been one of liberation and not of aggression. There should be no doubt we shall win this war, and we must win the peace that will follow.”