Barney Frank: “I hope some alert journalist is going to publish a catalogue of the excuses for Congress never to make a tough decision.…”

“I hope some alert journalist is going to publish a catalogue of the excuses for Congress never to make a tough decision. We should have done it before. We cannot do it after. We are told, by the way, that it is too dangerous for the troops to be there. Now, how do we increase the danger by withdrawing them? There may be good reasons for keeping them there. I believe there are. But protecting them from the danger of being there is hardly a good reason to keep them there. And that is what they are saying. People say they agree, the Europeans ought to pay more. But this House has consistently refused to do anything to force the Europeans to do it. And they know empty rhetoric when they see it. They are very sophisticated. What this amendment is intending to do, by the way, is not to pull out. This is an amendment that says Europe should begin to pay up. Apparently, there is a lack of confidence in our European allies amongst some of the leadership in the Committee on Appropriations that is greater than there is for us. Because they say, if we condition our staying there on the Europeans doing what General Shelton complains that they are not doing, that will lead to abandonment. Well, if the troops are overexposed and it is costing us too much money, there are two things to do, have the Europeans pay their fair share or withdraw them. We hope it is the former. But in neither case are we increasing the danger to the troops.”