Jon Kyl: “The reason I want to put this article in the Record is that it very clearly points out the problem with the strategy of…”

“The reason I want to put this article in the Record is that it very clearly points out the problem with the strategy of many of the Democrats that I have just outlined, including the notion that somehow you could reduce our forces by perhaps half or more and still achieve this goal of defeating al-Qaida and training up the Iraqi units. One of Biddle's key points is that the only way you can successfully train up these Iraqi units is having relative stability in the country, that if you have an out-of-control war going on, you have to be fighting that war, and it is very difficult to at the same time be training up these forces. The best way to train the Iraqi military is to work in conjunction with U.S. units, as General Petraeus has devised, go into an area, clear it, and then leave primarily Iraqi units behind to continue to maintain control in the area. But if you have constant fighting and you haven't been able to clear or hold the area, those Iraqi troops never have that opportunity or the experience of holding the area. So, as Mr. Biddle points out, you can't have it both ways. This compromise may satisfy some political requirements back home, but it is totally unworkable in the place where it matters, and that is in Iraq. You can't withdraw half or more of the troops quickly and have any chance of success in maintaining peace and stability and in helping to train up the Iraqi forces.”