Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I commend my colleagues who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and their staffs for the superb work done on…”

“I commend my colleagues who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and their staffs for the superb work done on the bill before us today. The bill comes to the floor of the Senate at an important time in our Nation's history. We have been at war for the past 20 months, ever since the devastating attacks on September 11, 2001 brought the violence of terrorism to our own country. We have come far since then, but we have much farther to go. Our first goal in the war on terrorism was to topple the brutal Taliban regime in Afghanistan, to destroy the camps where the al-Qaida terrorists who attacked us trained. We have done that. Our Nation's military, the finest in the world, successfully led that charge. Today we see in Afghanistan the beginnings of a democracy. We will continue to help in the future to make sure that order is kept in Afghanistan and that it will be a part of the flourishing world community. Our second goal was to disarm the dangerous regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq before he could surface and use weapons of mass destruction once more against innocent civilians. We have done that. Again, our brave men and women in uniform successfully achieved that important goal in an astounding 3 weeks. It was a charge that was lightning fast in its speed and thunderous in its conclusion. Now we are working with other nations and world bodies to guide the Iraqi people toward stability.”