Patricia Schroeder: “Mr. Speaker, I take the well not because I want to delay our departure, but because I think what we are doing with H.R.…”

“Mr. Speaker, I take the well not because I want to delay our departure, but because I think what we are doing with H.R. 7 is we are engaging in playing politics with one of the most important jobs we have here. That is measuring what we think is needed for the national security of our country and for our leadership in this new and evolving world that is so difficult for all of us to understand. Mr. Speaker, what are we doing in this bill? Think about this. We are communicating to the rest of the world that we are not going to play in the United Nations anymore, we do not like the way it is run, so forget the humanitarian missions, the Americans will not be there. Boy, there is a heavy message. We are also saying, 'We are going to tell them which countries ought to come into NATO.' Mr. Speaker, any country that is in NATO as a full member means that we are committed to defend their security, so if Chechnya had been allowed into NATO we would now have troops over there fighting. Now maybe that is a good idea, but do we do that with 10 hours of debate? Do we do that without consulting our allies? Do we have any idea that the United Nations and NATO are bodies that have other countries that belong, and they think they should have some input in this, too, and the administration should? Mr. Speaker, we are also taking and giving the Pentagon a nanny. We are giving them a commission, a political commission.”