Victory party

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican whip, acknowledged last week he was the one who "wired" the $20 million inserted into last year's defense spending bill to pay for a national celebration of success in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This year he had to write similar language for a "commemoration of success" into the new bill to roll over authorization into FY 2007.

The senator's spokesman explained McConnell felt returning troops should be treated to ceremonies and awards and not have to "sneak back" home or be spat upon the way some soldiers were during or after the Vietnam war.

Mitch deserves credit for having the foresight to arrange for a victory party to be paid in advance, but let's hope this doesn't become a story of rollovers waiting year after year for enough success to warrant the celebration.

It's also a different era from Vietnam War days. There's a different spirit this time born of 9-11. Other than a few exceptions, even U.S. anti-war groups aren't blaming the troops. Communities all over America already have been welcoming troops home with fanfare and gratitude.

I visited the 9-11 site in New York last Friday. Thousands every day still make the pilgrimage to the site. Crews are pouring infrastructure back into that vast hole in the ground as fast as they can. Every day there is a commemoration. We go there to mourn the victims and the firefighters and police who died trying to save others and those who died later in Afghanistan and Iraq during this prolonged U.S. response. It's also a place where we mourn the squandering of world good will following 9-11. I'd pick it over Washington as a place for our elected leaders to gather and review exactly what kind of victory we want to celebrate.