Political Quotes

“this vote today is a vote on whether we are truly dedicated to the hard work of getting full accounting of our missing from the Vietnam War. As the Veterans of Foreign Wars have stated, passing this resolution of disapproval will only hurt our efforts at a time in which we are receiving the access and cooperation we need from the Vietnamese to determine the fate of our POW-MIAs. There is no more authoritative force and voice on this issue than our former colleague and now ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Pete Peterson, who supports this waiver. As a prisoner of war who underwent years of imprisonment in the notorious Hanoi Hilton, he should have every reason to be skeptical and harbor bitterness against the Vietnamese. Yet he believes the best course is to develop better relations between our two nations. We have achieved progress on this POW-MIA issue because of our evolving relationship with the Vietnamese, not despite it. Without access to the jungles and the rice paddies, to the information and documents, and to the witnesses of these tragic incidents, it would be impossible to give the families of the missing the answers our country owes them. We are making progress and providing these answers. Much of this is due to the Joint Task Force--Full Accounting, our military presence in Vietnam tasked with looking for our missing. I have visited with these young men and women, and they are among the most brave and motivated troops I have ever met.”