[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 160 (Thursday, November 6, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H10538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of entering into 
the Record how I would have voted on issues before the House that I was 
unable to vote on on Wednesday, October 29 and on Thursday, October 30.
  On rollcall No. 579, I was the sponsor of the resolution and would 
have voted yes. On rollcall No. 578, I was a cosponsor of the bill and 
would have voted yes.
  On Thursday, October 30, on rollcall No. 580, I would have voted no. 
On rollcall No. 581, I would have vote yes. On rollcall No. 584, I 
would have voted no. On rollcall No. 585, I would have voted no. On 
rollcall No. 586, I would have voted yes. On roll 588, I would have 
voted no.
  On rollcall 589, I would have voted no. On rollcall No. 590, I would 
have voted no. And on rollcall No. 594, I would have voted no.
  On substantive votes, on rollcall No. 582, I would have voted yes. On 
rollcall 583, I would have voted yes. On rollcall 587, I would have 
voted yes. On rollcall No. 591, I would have voted no. On roll 592, I 
would have voted yes.
  On rollcall No. 593, I have would have voted yes. On rollcall No. 
595, I would have voted yes. On rollcall No. 596, I would have voted 
yes. On rollcall No. 597, I would have voted yes. On rollcall No. 598, 
I would have voted no. On rollcall No. 599, I would have voted no. On 
roll No. 601, I would have voted yes. On roll No. 600, I would have 
voted no.
  The purpose for my inability to vote on these issues is, as the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Miller) pointed out, there was a 
Congressional delegation that went to Iraq to visit with our troops and 
to inspect reconstruction and also to stop and visit our troops in the 
hospital at Landstuhl.
  While this business in front of our House was extremely important, I 
believe that nothing was more important for showing our support for the 
troops and inspecting the conditions under which they must exist and 
survive.
  In fact, I would just like to say that no matter how important this 
business was, nothing to me last week was more important that visiting 
with the troops at Landstuhl and to hear one of our fallen soldiers who 
had been in the Chinook say that he had gone through the most traumatic 
experience of his life and would not wish it upon his worst enemy. For 
in that moment he proved to me and all the world not only the bravery 
and courage of the American men and women in uniform, but their 
compassion as well.

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