The notion of a U.S. senator singing the praises of Osama bin Laden is too far-fetched to take seriously, right? Wrong. the Columbian of Vancouver, Wash., describing a speech by Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.) to a group of southern Washington state high-school students: Murray concluded the session by challenging the students to consider alternatives to war.
"We've got to ask, why is this man (Osama bin Laden) so popular around the world?," said Murray, who faces re-election in 2004. "Why are people so supportive of him in many countries . . . that are riddled with poverty?
"He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that.
"How would they look at us today if we had been there helping them with some of that rather than just being the people who are going to bomb in Iraq and go to Afghanistan?"
Coming next: Patty Murray describes how Hitler built the Autobahn.
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Murray, by the way, was until recently a member of the Democratic Senate leadership. She served as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 107th Congress.