Thomas Daschle: “I am very pleased to speak today in support of the nomination of Congressman Pete Peterson to be our Ambassador to…”

“I am very pleased to speak today in support of the nomination of Congressman Pete Peterson to be our Ambassador to Vietnam. This day has been a long time coming, and I want to thank Congressman Peterson for his patience. Mr. President, I traveled to Vietnam in 1991 as a member of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs and then again in November 1996 as part of a congressional delegation. The change that has taken place in Vietnam in those 5 years is staggering. Vietnam is a dynamic country with great potential. The United States needs a full diplomatic presence in Hanoi to represent our interests in Vietnam adequately, and I am very pleased that this is about to happen. Congressman Peterson is an excellent choice for a wide variety of reasons, not the least of which is his deep and personal understanding of our troubled history with Vietnam. He understands firsthand the toll of the war, and, while much good work has been done on the relationship between our two countries, much more remains to be done. Representative Peterson is among the best qualified to continue that work. He is also eminently qualified to continue the work on one of our most important national priorities--achieving a full accounting of those Americans missing in action.”