Barbara Boxer: “it is once again clear, in the greatest country in the world, where debate is supposed to be free and open, where…”

“it is once again clear, in the greatest country in the world, where debate is supposed to be free and open, where majority rules, we have been blocked now by our Republican friends for the third time from having a vote on the Levin-Reed amendment, which simply says it is time to change course in Iraq. It is not cut and run. You can stand here and say anything. I could say anything: Black, white, pink, brown. It means nothing. This is not cut and run. Read the amendment. The amendment is very clear. It is very well thought out. What it says is that we will start a redeployment of our troops out of Iraq in 120 days; that we will seek diplomatic solutions; that we will change the mission, get our brave,--unbelievably brave--and courageous troops out of the middle of a civil war and give them a mission that can be accomplished. And that mission, actually, is threefold--one is to go after al-Qaida in a counterterrorism effort, one is to continue to train the Iraqi forces, and one is to protect our troops, force protection.”