Saxby Chambliss: “I rise today to delineate exactly why I voted against this supplemental. We are in some very difficult and complex times…”

“I rise today to delineate exactly why I voted against this supplemental. We are in some very difficult and complex times in the world today, and certainly the situation in Iraq is right at the forefront. Americans have always stood tall when someone tries to interrupt our ability to exercise our rights of freedom, and right now we are fighting a global war on terrorism, with Iraq being at the center of it. For individuals in this body to think we can micromanage a military conflict from the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives is simply wrong. We have military leadership on the ground in Iraq. That leadership is recommending against imposing timelines. We have civilian leaders who have significant military experience, both from the State Department level as well as the Pentagon level. These leaders have testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and every single one of those individuals, whether they were Republican or Democrat, has said imposing timelines is not the way to go. Every military officer who has come to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee has said imposing timelines for withdrawal from Iraq will simply embolden the enemy. The enemy will lay in wait until we remove ourselves from Iraq and then all genocide will break loose in Iraq. The Baker-Hamilton commission--which so many people have relied upon--clearly stated that imposing timelines for withdrawal in Iraq is not the way to go.”