Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, the gentleman who resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is the President of the United States of America, and although the Constitution does not specifically state it, his most important chore is to keep our people united, to keep our Nation united.

  Accordingly, this morning I am saddened by the reports of my leader, the majority leader, and my leader, Senator Byrd of West Virginia, because it appears that our administration and our President are making statements that only serve to divide our people.

  I have been honored to serve as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Four weeks ago, this subcommittee reported a bill unanimously. It is a Democratically controlled subcommittee, but it reported a measure unanimously. It went to the full committee, chaired by the Senator from West Virginia, and the committee reported that measure unanimously. It was reported to this floor, and by an almost unanimous vote--three Members had questions--it passed the Senate. That was 4 weeks ago. That was carried out by a Democratically controlled Senate.

  There are a few footnotes in history that I think we should recall. I listened to all the talk shows on Sunday. I am a good listener. I very seldom speak on the floor. One statement was made that some of us in the early 1990s questioned the war in the Persian Gulf. I was one of those. This spokesperson said: They questioned the war because they said a lot of body bags would be returning, and just a few returned. But we should recall that the war ended at the border of Iraq. If we had gone into Baghdad, we would have had many body bags, unless the United States had decided to do the most inhuman thing and wipe out Baghdad--men, women, and children.

  Some have now suggested: The war in Afghanistan has resulted in 100 casualties. That is not a war.

  There is another footnote in history that we should recall. In that ancient war we engaged in 60 years ago, World War II, in the U.S. Army, 95 percent of the men in uniform had no spouses; there were no children. Five percent had spouses and children. In my regiment, 4 percent had spouses and children; 96 percent were young men, 18, 19, 20. We were ready. We had no strings attached.

  Today, in the U.S. Army, over 77 percent of our men and women have spouses; they have children. We should be concerned about their sensitivities.

  It is not easy going into combat. No one enters battle planning to become a hero. You just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you stepped one foot to the right, the bullet would have missed you.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator has used 5 minutes.

  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator may have 5 additional minutes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, there are those who plan war, and there are those who engage in war. As we have always said in the subcommittee and in the Appropriations Committee, in order to avoid war, we should be prepared for war. We voted for a bill to spend over $356 billion. Does that suggest we are not concerned about the security of our people? And when we passed it unanimously--bipartisan, united--does that suggest we are not concerned about the security of this country?

  I am concerned about the security of this country. I am concerned about what history will say about this Nation 50 years from now. Did we brutalize people or did we carry on ourselves as a civilized people? As my leader from West Virginia stated, to attack a nation that has not attacked us will go down in history as something of which we should not be proud.

  Mr. President, I can assure you that this Democratically controlled Senate, and especially the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, will support the President of the United States because that man is my President also. Certainly, I did not vote for him, but he is my President, and it grieves me when my President makes statements that divide this Nation.

  I can assure you this is not a time for Democrats and Republicans to say I have more medals than you, and I have lost more limbs than you, and we have shed more blood than you. This is not the time for that. This is a time in which we should be working together, debating this issue. As the Senator from West Virginia said, it is American to question the President. It is American to debate the issues. I stand before you as a proud member of the Democratically controlled Senate.

  I thank the Chair.