Political Quotes

“there has been tremendous effort of our committee on both sides of the aisle with respect to the equipment being used, primarily in Iraq at this time, but could well be used elsewhere. We refer to them as the up-armored high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles; humvees are part of that. There is a range of these vehicles. The purpose of this amendment is to add $105 million to the Army and $340 million to the Marine Corps for emerging up-armored HMMWV requirements that the United States Central Command, under General Abizaid, has established. In the last few days, I was down at Quantico where they have a magnificent research and development and forward-looking contingent. I looked on the parade grounds at a series of vehicles being modified in certain ways to provide a greater degree of protection to the occupants--namely, our soldiers or Marines--who must use these vehicles in the face of this insidious, frightful threat of suicide bombers, implanted bombs which are activated by different devices, even a simple cell phone. This is tough going. I commend a number of Senators--Senator Kennedy, Senator Bayh, a number of Senators on my side--who have been working this issue for some years. The hour and the time has come to add significant sums of money.…”