On the recordSeptember 16, 2010
Yesterday Speaker Pelosi and the Congress recognized the anniversary of 9/11 with a moving remembrance ceremony on the steps outside the Capitol. It's critical that we never forget the cruelty of those attacks and the tragedy of so many innocent lives. But just as importantly, we must use this occasion to examine the war that we launched in response to 9/11. Nine years later, have we achieved our original objectives? Is the continued military occupation advancing or undermining our national security interests? You'll recall that the original purpose was to clear al Qaeda out of Afghanistan. That's been accomplished. There are barely any al Qaeda operatives left in the country, and there is little hope that they could gain a foothold there in the future. But our continued military footprint is not helping us realize any worthy goal. In addition to putting our troops' lives in danger, it is fueling the rise and aiding the recruitment of Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. And on a global level, Madam Speaker, it is stoking the extremism of al Qaeda and other anti-American jihadists.
