Mitch Landrieu: “before I send my amendment to the desk, I want to take a point of personal privilege and comment on the remarks made by…”

“before I send my amendment to the desk, I want to take a point of personal privilege and comment on the remarks made by the Senator from Alaska and tell him how much I and many women and many men appreciate them. They were heartfelt and they were right on target, and they were sincere, and they were very meaningful on this day, as we all read about the extraordinary event of the last 48 hours in which this young soldier was rescued and returned safely to her unit and will be, ultimately, to her family. As the first Democratic woman to ever serve on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate, following in the footsteps of Margaret Chase Smith; the Senators from Maine, Ms. Snowe and Ms. Collins, I am particularly appreciative of the support of the Senator from Alaska and other members who have, year after year, argued--and I think successfully, as the record will show--that women can most certainly make extraordinary contributions to the strength of our military in many different ways. We have all been proud as we have watched the level of contribution grow over time and, most certainly as this war unfolds before our eyes, we are reminded again of the continued bravery and skill and expertise of the women who are serving at the highest levels of our military and challenging the notions that women can serve but not on the front lines, or women can serve but not in this capacity, that women can serve but not here.”