mr. speaker , this supplemental bill is a good bill .  i was privileged to go with my good friend , the gentleman from oklahoma ( mr. cole )  , to iraq .  we visited with the troops .  and some of the troops indicated that they got the satellite transmissions , some of the news .  they had heard some of our friends on the other side of the aisle saying they were wasting their lives .  they had heard some of newscasters saying that they were wasting lives .  but they said after the election they knew why they were there : they were setting a historical precedent in the cradle of civilization .  they were doing good and they knew it , and they know it today .  and we owe it to our troops to make sure that they have everything they need to make iraq , or give them the opportunity to create that democracy .  in talking to sunnis , the sunnis were upset with their leadership that told them not to vote .  they said , please , if you would just stand behind the iraqi police and armed services to make sure we get one more chance to vote .  one former general under saddam hussein said , if you will do that , i believe you will see 95 percent of the violence in iraq go away .  folks , this is historic , what we have undertaken ; and it does not just help iraq .  it deals with terrorism around the world .  it sends that message .  it has already sent shivers throughout the middle east , and it has helped us right here in america .  that is why we are doing it .  so we need to support that .  also , i want to address one other thing that has been brought up .  i have heard people on television , i have heard colleagues across the aisle , some folks i have great respect for , indicating that there is nothing in the real id bill that would have changed anything on 9/11 .  and i have respect for some of these people that i have heard say that , and i wish that they would read the bill instead of just relying on talking points or something from the leadership .  because , if you look , under evidence of lawful status , which is required in order to have a driver 's license that will be an acceptable form of identification to get on an airplane , it says , you can not use a driver 's license if it does not come from a state that makes sure you are in lawful status .  and if you are in a temporary status , it must be a temporary driver 's license that says on there the same date your permit to be in this country expires .  if we had had that in place on 9/11 , then every one of the hijackers would have tried to get onboard an airplane with an invalid , out-of-date driver 's license , and should have been stopped .  folks , this goes in a number of directions , all coming together to help with the fight against terrorism .  it would have helped on 9/11 ; it will help prevent 9/11s in the future .  i would encourage everyone to support it .  