[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REGARDING IRAQ RESOLUTION

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about the Iraq resolution 
that I will vote ``no'' on today.
  Republicans would like us to say America is safer. I wish that were 
true, but it is not. We have only to look at what happened in Spain to 
be reminded. Terrorism threatens America today just as much as 
terrorism threatened America before we invaded Iraq.
  Make no mistake, I wholeheartedly support the U.S. soldiers. My 
support does not stop at the Iraq border, nor is my support bounded by 
political party. I regularly visit troops at Walter Reed Hospital, and 
I urge every Member to do so. They are the best soldiers and they make 
America proud.
  I would like to pass a resolution praising our soldiers, but this 
Republican resolution is meant to legitimize a position the 
administration cannot defend at home or abroad. Look at the Spanish 
election. We have lost soldiers. We continue to lose them. We have lost 
credibility. And we have found nothing.
  This is not worthy of a victory lap. I will not sing the praises of 
the Bush doctrine.

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