Tim Walz's three-minute floor statement is making news. The San Jose Mercury News has picked up an AP article:
Rep. Tim Walz, a National Guard veteran, spoke on the House floor Tuesday in favor of a Democratic resolution against President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.
Walz, a Minnesota Democrat, said that Congress can't stand on the sideline in the face of Bush's escalation plan. He stressed that the resolution had the troops' well-being in mind.
"First and foremost, we support them, and we support them by saying, 'enough is enough' with the bad planning," Walz said. "The president should not send more troops to Iraq for the simple reason that it will not make any difference on a deteriorating situation on the ground."
Walz said that his former National Guard unit is now in Iraq.
"Many of these soldiers are kids that I taught in my high school classroom and coached on our school football team," he said. "They joined my Guard unit and I trained them. We deployed together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and now they are deployed again to Iraq."
Walz said that when he returns home to Minnesota during a congressional recess next week, "I will go home and look into the eyes of the families of these soldiers. These are the same families and the men and women who learned on cable TV that they would be extended in their tour of duty."
Walz was one of several freshmen who served in the military that Democrats called on early in the debate. The resolution is expected to pass the House by the end of the week.
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