[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10812]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IT IS TIME THE DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP PUT OUR TROOPS, NOT POLITICAL 
                           STATEMENTS, FIRST

  (Mr. CARTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARTER. Madam Speaker, now that the Democrats have satisfied 
their base and passed a bill that is guaranteed to be vetoed and 
delayed the necessary funding for our troops, we need to get down to 
business and pass a clean supplemental.
  Yesterday I received a letter from a marine mom. She said she was 
embarrassed and saddened by the fact that somebody would leave her son 
and those fighting forces that are doing such a wonderful job in harm's 
way without funding their needs as they fight the battle for freedom. 
This lady was heart broken that a portion of this Congress would vote 
not to provide a clean bill for her son's protection.
  The Chicago Tribune editorial says that President Bush is going to 
veto this spending bill because it has a timetable for withdrawal, and 
it goes on to say: ``He is right to do so.''
  We have a new commanding general on the ground and he has a plan, and 
that plan has not even started to be executed. We are already seeing 
modest improvements.
  I urge my colleagues, and that marine mom urges my colleagues, to 
support a clean supplemental. It is time the Democrat leadership put 
our troops, not political statements, first.

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