Commending the President and Our Armed Forces

Mr. DAYTON. Winston Churchill once advised:

In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Good Will.

I add to that, before war, honest debate.

That fundamental right of the first amendment to debate, to agree and disagree is the difference between our democracy and Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. The measure of our free country is not how well our country tolerates agreement but, rather, how well they accept disagreement.

Now, however, the time for this debate is passed. Our country is at war and our Armed Forces are fighting life-and-death battles against Iraqi troops. The President has made that momentous decision, and I will support him, his military command, and the brave American troops who are carrying out his orders.

In war: Resolution. Let us in the Senate resolve to provide whatever is needed to win the war as quickly and decisively as possible and then replenish our military arsenals so we quickly regain our great strength to protect and defend our country again.

In victory: Magnanimity. There is no question that our Armed Forces will win this war for our country, for the Iraqi people and for, I pray, the ultimate benefit of the world. I pray the courageous Americans who will win that victory, many of them young men and women less than half our age, may return safely home.

Let us who are at home now begin the practice of magnanimity, magnanimity toward the people of Iraq who did not take up arms against us, magnanimity toward their past suffering and future needs.

Occupation is not magnanimous; the Marshall Plan was magnanimous. We have the obligation and the opportunity to be magnanimous and generous toward the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. In doing so, we can showcase our way of life, our economic and technical know-how, and our humanity. We should match each year the increase in our military spending with that same increase in an international recovery fund. Both are key to our national security.

In peace: Good will. Our leaders must become again the lead practitioners and worldwide promoters of good will. They can allow themselves no more derisive and destructive reactions to whoever does not see our way, not to the leaders and people of other nations, not to the leaders and representatives of the international organizations, not to our fellow American citizens.

We must resume our leadership of the world on the path toward international security, prosperity, peace, and good will.
That is our greatest challenge. That must be our ultimate victory.

I reserve the remainder of my time and yield to the Senator from Michigan.