Byron Dorgan: “But this is about national security. The reason we have imposed sanctions on other countries is because we have national…”

“But this is about national security. The reason we have imposed sanctions on other countries is because we have national security interests about the behavior of these countries. And if, in the interest of national security, we have said this country shall continue to impose sanctions on the shipments of food and medicine, then I say this country is wrong, and we must change the law. We had been close to changing the law last year but failed, because there are only a few people--a handful of people; determined people--in the Congress who insist that they want to continue using food and medicine as a weapon. The absurdity of it, of course, is that Saddam Hussein has never missed a meal. Does anybody think Saddam Hussein has ever missed breakfast because we are not able to send much food to Iraq? Does anybody think that Fidel Castro has missed dinner because we have imposed sanctions on the shipment of food to Cuba?”