Political Quotes

“Mr. President, last week, Clifford May, the president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, wrote in the National Review that the U.S. should renew its focus on the Iranian regime's influence in Iraq. He warned that the success of the surge in Iraq, which both the President and Vice President opposed when they served in this body, could be transformed into a ``bipartisan failure'' if we don't increase pressure on the Iranian regime. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the article to which I just referred. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From the National Review] Who's Losing Iraq? And could Iran be winning? (By Clifford D. May) ``I am very optimistic about--about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration.'' Vice President Joseph Biden's comments to CNN's Larry King sparked a brouhaha for an obvious reason: When they were senators, Biden and Barack Obama opposed the ``surge'' that averted America's defeat in Iraq. It takes chutzpah for them to now claim credit for the fruits of that strategy. But a less obvious and more significant point is being missed: Iraq may, in the end, turn out to be nobody's achievement. It may turn out to be a military success transformed by politicians and diplomats into a bipartisan failure. Recent developments in Iraq are ominous. The Obama administration is not addressing them effectively.…”