Political Quotes

“this debate is about whether or not America is a great Nation that will lead in the face of difficulty. We have come up short. This resolution falls short. It is small and not worthy of this House. Why small? Let me begin with a threat that some either don't understand or refuse to acknowledge. This resolution does not address the fact that the current threat is not just the single front in Iraq, but rather the larger threat of militant Islamic jihadists who hate us enough to want to kill. These militant Islamic jihadists are a fringe element of Islam who have very specific ideas and goals about how to revive Islam, return Muslims to world power, and how to deal with their enemies. They are committed to a violent overthrow of existing international systems and to their replacement by an all-encompassing Islamic state called the caliphate. In explaining his approach to creating the caliphate, centered in Iraq, al-Qaeda's number two leader, Zawahari, outlined a four-stage plan: Stage 1, expel the Americans from Iraq in defeat. Stage 2, create an Islamic religious government in Iraq, developing and supporting it until it achieves a level of a caliphate. Stage 3, extend the jihad wave to secular countries neighboring Iraq. Stage 4, clash with Israel, because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity. I think you get the picture. Let me also be clear. This jihad is about them, their God, and their religion, it is not about us.”