On the recordJuly 19, 2010
Tonight I would like to bring up the issue of Afghanistan. This weekend in the Raleigh News and Observer, they published 20 names of our men and women who have given their lives for this country. As most of you know, I have written over 9,000 letters to immediate and extended families of the fallen. Lately, the numbers have dramatically increased. More and more of our sons and daughters in uniform are paying the ultimate price. I would like to reference this poster beside me. The picture's of a flag-draped coffin being carried off a plane. This is war. This is the reality of war. In a recent debate on the floor of the House regarding Afghanistan, I made reference to conservative George Will and liberal Thomas Friedman. Both have stated in written editorials that there is nothing we can accomplish in Afghanistan. In an article published in Newsweek yesterday, Richard Haass shares this opinion. His article is entitled, ``We're not winning. It's not worth it.'' In my remaining time I would like to share some thoughts of a former general who's my personal adviser on Afghanistan. These are his words, not mine: ``The basic 'mission' of defeating al Qaeda in Afghanistan is a sham. Our own intelligence tells us that there are only about 50 al Qaeda members in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan . . . certainly nothing worth sending thousands upon thousands of our best young men and women to fight. Al Qaeda is not a geographic entity . . .
