Barbara Boxer: “It seems to me if you want to liberate the Iraqi people, then you give them back the country and you let them know that…”

“It seems to me if you want to liberate the Iraqi people, then you give them back the country and you let them know that is what this is all about. We have been there 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 4 years, 5 years. We have spent a half a trillion dollars; 3,893 of our own killed, 28,711 wounded. Is this forever? I went through the period of time in the Vietnam war where the people of this country stood up and said: Enough is enough is enough. It seems to me what Senator Levin is doing--and I am so proud he has bipartisan support, Senators Hagel, Voinovich, Snowe, Smith--is good. This shows we are beginning to cross over party lines, which is so important, and say: It is time the mission changes. My dear friend from Virginia talks about the Brits. This is exactly what the Brits have already done. They are getting out. They have turned the keys of the city over to the Iraqis. They are ahead of us. In many ways, this resolution tracks what they have done. I read it. It is very simple. It is a sense of the Congress that the missions of the U.S. Armed Forces should be transitioned to a more limited set-- counterterrorism, training, equipping, supporting Iraqi forces, and force protection. Yes, we are sending a message to the Maliki Government, get your act together because we are not going to be here forever. The American people are generous and good people. But there is a limit to how much they can give in terms of blood and treasure.”