Political Quotes

On the recordJanuary 7, 2020
at a time of international turmoil and crisis like this, all of us, I think, are sometimes prone to hyperbole. I count myself as part of that club. I endeavor to do better. It doesn't serve this body well to warn of bad decisions that could lead to war if we are only doing it to serve political ends or to bloody up a political opponent. Crying wolf also anesthetizes the public and risks dulling the country's senses at a moment when the peril is real. Anytime we are considering asking the men and women of our Armed Forces and their families to make further sacrifices for their country, we have to treat those moments with the gravity they deserve. Let me state at the outset of my remarks that there are important reasons why I believe that both Iran and the United States do not want to enter into a conventional conflict that would likely involve the United States taking steps to remove the Supreme Leader from power and which would likely involve an invasion that would make Iraq in 2003 look like child's play. The United States, of course, remembers the Iraq war--at least, I think we do. Our military leaders know that a short-term fight in Iran would be much bloodier and would be much more costly than the initial invasion of Iraq. Iran, for instance, has twice the population of Iraq. A long-term counterinsurgency in Iran would be endless, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of lives.…
Said by
Chris Murphy
Democratic · Connecticut
Source
govinfo.gov
Jan 7, 2020

Share

More from Chris Murphy

Aug 14, 2026

The Air Force seems to have committed to a rushed, expensive aircraft modification program in order to meet President Trump’s demand to fly on 'the world’s most luxurious plane,' with his favored paint job, during Independence Day…

murphy.senate.gov
Aug 10, 2026

The supposed deal that’s on the table right now would pay Iran $100 million, excuse me, $100 billion a year, in order to reopen the Strait.

huffpost.com
Aug 10, 2026

I think it’s going to be close. It’s four people in the race. I’ve seen from the inside how indispensable John is to the delegation. He has been a big part of us getting money back to Hartford to reduce gun violence rates. There has always…

washingtonexaminer.com
Aug 8, 2026

He gaslights. He tells lies. And the essential gaslight is that the war is about to end: ‘Don't worry. Yes, it appears that there is no end. It appears that you're going to have to continue to pay these prices forever. It appears that…

murphy.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation