David Thomas: “I had come to the Senate floor to talk about an issue that is very important to all of us, particularly Medicare…”

“I had come to the Senate floor to talk about an issue that is very important to all of us, particularly Medicare recipients in this country. But first I have to express some disappointment, frankly, and some surprise about the discussion that has gone on here in the first 30 minutes criticizing the President on everything that is happening overseas, acting as if we are not in support of what is happening there. I am very surprised and, frankly, disappointed. All they talk about is what the President has done. We voted here on this floor to do this job in the Middle East. That is what we are seeking to do, and that is what our great service people are doing for us over there. The idea behind conducting Operation Iraqi Freedom was to free 25 million Iraqis from the Saddam Hussein regime. That is why we are there: to defend the will of the international community, to remove the threat of terrorism that happened here on September 11, and to change the dynamics in the Middle East. That is what we are seeking to do, and that is what we are trying to carry on, and it is an admirable effort. Madam President, 211 Members of Congress have visited Iraq and witnessed firsthand some of the extraordinary efforts of the coalition forces and Iraqis. I have been to Iraq. I am impressed with what they are doing. For us to simply criticize everything that is happening there aimed at the election in 2004 is a great disappointment to me.”