Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “the House is poised to vote on legislation that, if passed, will cripple our foreign policy for many years to come and…”

“the House is poised to vote on legislation that, if passed, will cripple our foreign policy for many years to come and place our troops and all American citizens in great danger. It is a bill that seeks to abandon the Iraqi people, that seeks to abandon our closest friends and allies in the Middle East, leaving them to fend for themselves against radical Islamic militant jihadists. It is a bill that provides a roadmap for the insurgents, giving them a detailed account of the benchmarks they need to focus on in order to ensure an American withdrawal from Iraq. Regardless of victory or failure, this bill demands withdrawal from Iraq. It demonstrates very little confidence in the ability of our troops to get the job done in Iraq and defeat the terrorists there. My stepson Doug and my daughter-in-law Lindsey have served proudly as marine fighter pilots in Iraq, and Lindsey will soon head back to another tour of duty in Iraq. They do not believe that you can separate the soldier from the mission. They do not believe that we have an option to simply walk away. Doug and Lindsey and many others like them do not want Congress to add to the burdens and the dangers that they face by legislating restrictions, deadlines and arbitrary instructions that only benefit the enemy.”