[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24860]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  SMART DECISIONS FOR A STRONG FUTURE

  (Mr. SHERMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I agree with the last speaker. America's 
greatest days are yet to come. But not if we make a bunch of stupid 
decisions here in Washington.
  The great debate today will be whether the $18 billion going to build 
Iraq is going as loans or as gifts. But first we will take up H.R. 198, 
which I know leadership plans to pass by unanimous consent. Well, I 
will reserve the right to object.
  H.R. 198 is being brought up at this time as is a bizarre and 
inadequate fig leaf designed to say, well, it is okay if we give away 
$18 billion of the taxpayers' money, as long as on the same day we make 
a request that Germany and France renounce the debts that are owed to 
them by Saddam Hussein.
  If we need a Marshall Plan for Iraq, remember, the first step in the 
Marshall Plan was that Hitler's debts were renounced. Promissory notes 
signed by Hitler were never paid. And we can make an $18 billion loan 
to Iraq if it renounces its Saddam debt.

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