Joe Crowley: “I rise to address the vital needs of America's veterans, both of past wars and of our future veterans from the current…”

“I rise to address the vital needs of America's veterans, both of past wars and of our future veterans from the current war. I voted to give our President the authorization to use force against Saddam Hussein, recognizing Saddam's threat to both global and international security, his support of global terrorism, and his mad desire to create and undoubtedly use weapons of mass destruction. That said, whether we voted to approve military force against Iraq or not, the time for that discussion has passed. Our troops are abroad, they are fighting as we speak, and we support them there and hope that they will return home quickly and safely. My Republican colleagues have tried to use this conflict to paint Democrats as unpatriotic, trying to say if we oppose the war, we are against the cause of America. They forget that many of those who oppose this war are veterans themselves, veterans who know the pains of war better than many of those who would malign them. And just as importantly, these people, our veterans, understand what it is like when one returns home from battle. What we have seen from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and from this White House with respect to veterans, in my opinion, is appalling.”