[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18726]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 APOLOGY TO THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I know my friend from Florida wants to 
speak. I certainly want to give him that ability. But I just want to 
say this: The Senator from North Dakota is absolutely right. Senator 
Daschle is a veteran who has served in the U.S. military. He is a 
person who has dedicated much of his legislative life to helping people 
who have served in the military.
  There are a lot of people who can take responsibility for dealing 
with Agent Orange, but Senator Daschle, who is a Vietnam-era veteran, 
knows about Agent Orange, and he has worked tirelessly to get things 
done in that regard.
  I have worked with him on concurrent receipts. He has been a big 
advocate of concurrent receipts. He is a person who has almost single-
handedly taken care of TRICARE, to make sure that National Guardsmen 
and reservists are treated more fairly with medical care.
  To think that in any way this good man has somehow emboldened the 
enemy--and that is in the way of a fundraising letter--is not very 
good. I know the man running against Senator Daschle. I like him. I am 
just terribly disappointed that he would allow people to use him the 
way they have. That Senator Daschle has emboldened the enemy is unfair. 
It is outrageous. And I think that Congressman John Thune should 
apologize to the people of South Dakota for suggesting that Tom Daschle 
has emboldened the enemy. I assume he is referring to these nameless, 
faceless, evil people who are committing this war on terror, who are 
executing this war on terror.
  Senator Daschle has somehow emboldened the enemy, these nameless, 
faceless people who are killing innocent women and children, and 
others? I think not. And I say John Thune, whom I have the highest 
respect for, should return the dignity to his person and disavow this 
statement.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, will the Senator withhold?
  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I will yield to the Senator 
from Nevada.

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