Charles Rangel: “I regret that the majority has seen fit to bring to this floor a political statement where if you vote against it, you…”

“I regret that the majority has seen fit to bring to this floor a political statement where if you vote against it, you are voting against our troops; and if you vote for it, of course you are supporting the President's policy. But being a politician, I can understand that. We cannot say enough about the courage and the dedication of our young people, the volunteers and the National Guards people that are putting their lives on the line each and every day. Tragically, we reached a point that we passed the 2,500 mark in terms of loss of life, and tens of thousands are permanently maimed. When we laud them, as we have heard, as supporting the President's policy, I really think this is so unfair, and why? Because with our fighting men and women, when that flag goes up, they salute it not because of a President's policy, but because of respecting their oath to the Commander in Chief. When I was in Korea, I do not remember any of the soldiers that were in combat questioning the wisdom of Commander in Chief President Truman. They never asked did the Congress declare war. They never asked why were we involved in a civil war between the North Koreans and the South Koreans. They never thought that the North Koreans were going to invade our communities. I tell you that our fighting men and women today are not saying that they challenge the Commander in Chief. They do not ask whether there were weapons of mass destruction.…”