[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7404]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN DEFENSE OF JOHN KERRY

  (Mr. LARSON of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, especially with so many in 
the gallery today, I rise to defend John Kerry from the onslaught on 
the floor today, a decorated veteran in Vietnam, a person who received 
three Purple Hearts and the Silver Star for serving with distinction. 
And now, because he is a candidate for President of the United States, 
he receives the unbridled attack from the opposition.
  We ought to rise above this here on the floor of the House and across 
the Nation in this debate. What we need to do is focus on the issues 
that this country desperately needs to address, seniors that need 
prescription drugs, people that are out of work and unemployed.
  What we need is leadership, the kind of leadership that John Kerry 
provided in the fields of Vietnam, that he has provided with 
distinction in the United States Senate, and that he will provide as 
President of the United States.

                          ____________________