On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
The ongoing war in Afghanistan is, quite simply, the wrong war in the wrong time and in the wrong place. Intelligence experts agree that a terrorist threat to our Nation does not emanate from within the borders of the nation of Afghanistan. There is a very real terrorist threat to the people of this country; but by its very nature, it is a stateless menace. It is a menace that is likely to use as its base of operation wherever anarchy prevails and wherever the rule of law is lacking. We cannot effectively combat this threat by occupying one country after another after another. It is true that, when we occupy a country, al Qaeda and other terrorist operations will likely flee for other areas; but there are unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, plenty of areas of the world that provide hospitable footholds for al Qaeda, which is why a more effective strategy this Nation is currently also engaged in--but which to a certain extent is not complementary to the heavy-handed occupation strategy--is that of more light targeted operations and intelligence gathering and operations against terrorist operatives wherever they are. To be bogged down in one particular nation state, one that is host to a negligible number of al Qaeda operatives--it has been estimated that there are only 50 to 100 al Qaeda operatives--is simply counterproductive to the goal of keeping the American people safe. Beyond being counterproductive, Mr. Chairman, this is money that we can't afford.
