Political Quotes

“Last night, President Bush stood in front of the soldiers of the 82nd Airborne and the members of the Special Forces and gave an important speech. Thankfully, he did not profess the unfounded optimism of Vice President Cheney, who recently declared that the Iraqi insurgency was in ``its last throes.'' Nor did he express the pessimistic view of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who said this last Sunday that this insurgency had an expected life of 5 to 12 years, adding he hoped the American troops could come home long before that. In fact, Mr. Bush did not use the word ``insurgency,'' although that is what is raging in Iraq. That insurgency is partially fueled and financed from outside groups. Those who come to Iraq to fight in this insurgency come from Saudi Arabia, Syria, and many other places. There is also a domestic war within Iraq against Americans and against many other Iraqis. President Bush did not use the word ``insurgency,'' but he did make at least six references to September 11. He said that he was drawing on the lessons of September 11. Well, on September 12, 2001, the day after the tragedy of September 11, virtually the whole world stood with the United States. One of the most important lessons I would draw from September 11 is that we can't afford to waste the support of friends and allies. President Bush says he will not set a timetable. I understand that.…”