Floor Speech - May 20, 2004

We were not at war in 2000?

Mr. Speaker, 

One of the distressing things about this partisan election year is to hear our friends on the other side politicizing national security. 

One of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle said that we were not at war when President Clinton was in office, suggesting that it was President Bush's fault that we are at war today.

I would like to ask, what would you call it then in the 1990s when terrorists attacked our country, not once, but four times? 

In 1993, they killed innocent Americans at the World Trade Center; in 1996, they killed Americans at the Khobar Towers; in 1998, they attacked two U.S. embassies in Africa; in 2000, they attacked a U.S. Naval vessel, the USS Cole, again killing Americans.

Terrorists have been at war with us for years. 

We failed to admit it, despite the body bags.

Then in 2001, 9/11 happened.

We were at war long before President Bush came to Washington. 

All President Bush did was muster the courage and moral vision to admit it and fight back.

These political games only cloud the true issue that we are at war, and the more we hesitate to fight it, the more aggressive our enemies become.