Cliff Stearns: “the War in Iraq has been difficult for all Americans. I understand and share the American people's frustration at how…”

“the War in Iraq has been difficult for all Americans. I understand and share the American people's frustration at how the war has been conducted. No one wants to bring our troops home more than I do, but conditions on the ground should dictate when our troops should leave, not domestic politics. Regardless of if you voted for the war or against it or support immediate withdrawal or not, there is one issue we can all agree. Our brave men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve our respect and admiration. The best way to honor them is to provide them with all the necessary equipment to be safe and successful as quickly as possible. One thing our troops do not deserve is to be used as a political bargaining chip for additional billions in unrelated and unnecessary spending. Unfortunately, that is what the Democrat leadership has done with the bill before us today. By playing politics, Democrats are ensuring that the troops will not get their funding prior to Memorial Day. Our troops do not deserve this kind of treatment. This is an insult to our men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our freedom. This is most unfortunate because the first amendment, which I urge all my colleagues to support, contains funding for some very vital programs. For example, it includes $75 million in FY 2008 and $300 million in FY 2009 for traumatic brain injury care and research.”