Senate Proceeding on Jun 25th, 2009 :: 3:39:30 to 3:46:25
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3:39:28 to 3:39:50( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: quorum call: mr. graham: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. graham: i'd like unanimous consent to terminate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. graham: thank you. i minutes here as if we're in morning business. i would like to go on the record support of the kerry-lugar legislation that was passed

3:39:30 to 3:46:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Lindsey Graham

3:39:51 to 3:40:12( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: buyer this body -- passed by this body basically without objection, by voice vote. and it went through so quickly which, to me, power of the bill, and i want to congratulate senator kerry and senator lugar for this piece of legislation. to the public, what i'm talking about is an aid package to pakistan

3:40:13 to 3:40:34( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: it's $1.5 billion a year for the next five years. and i know we need money here at home. trust me, in south carolina, we're the third highest unemployment in the nation. times are tough. but all i can tell the taxpayers and the american people that what happens overseas does matter, and 9/11 was planned in afghanistan.

3:40:35 to 3:40:55( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: it was a area of the world, quite frankly, we ignored. pakistan has been -- has been an ally in the war on terror generally. it's a regime with nuclear weapons. it's a country that's been hit incredibly hard in the downturn in the world economy. there are millions of people in

3:40:56 to 3:41:16( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: pakist find a better way. the government is fighting forces that are al qaeda movement. the type of people that are the dark movement in the mideast that would affect the quality of our lives. and $1.5 billion is a lot of

3:41:17 to 3:41:38( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: money and it will do a lot of good in pakistan, and it really ll help this government and the pakistan military combat the growing threat of terrorism in kistan. the aid package is going to help the government provide a better quality of life to its people. and where the government fails to provide a decent quality of

3:41:39 to 3:41:59( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: life in afghanistan and pakistan pakistan, you'll have a vacuum filled. the taliban are not in favor with the afghan people, but when the government of afghanistan cannot deliver justice, provide the basic necessities of life, it allows the drug dealers and the taliban to come along and fill in the vacuum. pakistan is a large country with

3:42:00 to 3:42:20( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: nuclear weapons. it is in our national security interest to make sure that the government is stable, that the military will be supportive of civilian control of the government and will be able to defeat the forces of extremism that we've seen what can do -- what they can do when unchecked.

3:42:21 to 3:42:42( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: so this bill is an aid package that focuses on civil capacity. it also makes sure that we know where the money's going to go. it's not a $1.5 billion check to pakistan that could be, you know, stolen through corruption. it is a very accountable system that follows the money.

3:42:43 to 3:43:04( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: it makes efforts to upgrade the pakistan military to deal with counterinsurgency, which they don't have the capacity they need. and, again, it provides assistance to the afghan -- excuse me, the pakistan and the government to improve the quality of their lives. we're getting something for our money. i think we're getting -- we're going to get a goodeturn.

3:43:05 to 3:43:26( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: if we can stabilize pakistan, it helps us troops stationed and fighting as i speak. so to senator kerry and lugar, congratulations on being able to get this bill through the senate so swiftly. to senator mcconnell and senator reid, i want to applaud both of you, the minority and majority leader, for working for the common good here.

3:43:27 to 3:43:48( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: the administration has been very supportive. i've had my differences with the administration, and i will continue to have, but i want to acknowledge that ambassador holbrooke,ho is now in charge of monitoring pakistan and afghanistan as a unit, has done a really good job of focusing on what we need to do in both countries because one does affect the other.

3:43:49 to 3:44:09( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: and the kerry-lugar bill, according to him and general petraeus, would be the most important thing the congress could do to aid the pakistan government and the pakistan military that the crucial time. i'm glad to say in a fashion we responded to that call from our general and from our ambassador, and hopefully this will become law soon.

3:44:10 to 3:44:33( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: and to the american taxpayer, i know times are tough. i know money is in short supply, but, quite frankly, this is an investment that we have to make. we've got soldiers serving in afghanistan. if we can make pakistan more secure and less of a safe haven for -- for terrorists who are attacking our troops, that mix

3:44:34 to 3:44:54( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: their lives -- that makes their lives better and if we can stabilize pakistan and puts them in a pattern of mod nation will prosper and future jernses will be able to prosper. it's impossible for us as a nation to have a strong, vibrant economy and to enjoy freedom we enjoy today and pass on to our

3:44:55 to 3:45:15( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: kids and grandkids without confronting the problems head-on. when you ignore these problems it comes back to bite you. this is, i think, a wise investment at a time that it matters. the tide is turning in pakistan. it is turning our way and i hope this will allow us to get a

3:45:16 to 3:45:36( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: result in pakistan that will help us in afghanistan. every american, quite frankly, should be proud of the history and tradition of our country. we've been blessed in many ways. the challenges we face are enormous but we have to rember we're the most blessed nation on earth and this is a chance for us not only to help ourselves but help the world at large. so, mr. president, i'm proud of

3:45:37 to 3:45:57( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: the senate. i look forward to working in the future with ambassador holbrooke and the administration on afghanistan, iraq, and pakistan, to find ways to make sure we're successful. this is not a republican-democratic problem. this is a problem for anyone who loves freedom. this is a problem that needs to be addressed.

3:45:58 to 3:46:15( Edit History Discussion )

Lindsey Graham: and the kerry-lugar bill addresses the problem of pakistan in a reasoned way. with that, i yield back. i notice the absence of a the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.