Political Quotes

“this is a sense-of- the-Senate amendment. I think it is very important, as we deal with the Iraqi situation, for us to address as many issues as we can about the nature of how this is going to unfold. The President has asked for $87 billion. I am glad to support the funding. Most of it, two-thirds of it, I guess, goes to the men and women in uniform to make sure they have the assets necessary to protect themselves and do their job. This resolution speaks to the idea of when the mission is complete, and this resolution addresses the French position. The French have proposed as recently as September 16 that within a month--a matter of 1 month and no later than 2--all authority be turned over to the Iraqi people and that the umbrella we have today cease to exist. Not only is this irresponsible but the Coalition Provisional Authority ruling the country is a necessary entity until we can get a constitution written, voted on, and a government elected. But if we did what the French are suggesting, we would take a country that has been brutalized and raped--literally and figuratively--with Saddam Hussein still on the loose, and basically say, Here. I think that would not only be a disservice to the Iraqi people but it would undermine the reason we went to war to begin with; that is, to take tyranny and turn it into stability.”