Political Quotes

“the country is consumed with the appearance this week of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker from Iraq. This is our annual report. Companies make annual reports. People like Warren Buffett call in to Omaha, NE, to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway to talk about the state of his corporation and what the prospects are of the future. It has become an annual occurrence here on Capitol Hill that the two leaders from the diplomatic and military side come and make their report to Congress. This is indeed the beginning of the sixth year of this war. This war in Iraq has lasted longer than World War II. By the end of this summer, it will have lasted longer than World War I and World War II combined. We have lost over 4,000 of our best and bravest, our men and women in uniform who have given their lives in this conflict-- 30,000 injured. Many with permanent injuries have returned from this battlefield. Our military has been stretched to the absolute limit. There is no doubt in my mind that the U.S. military is the best in the world. You only have to meet them, you only have to understand the challenges they have faced and the success they have shown to know that. But it troubles me that in the midst of this debate about how long we can stay in Iraq, we are actually saying: How long can our military stay in Iraq with the support of the American people?”