Michele Bachmann: “I thank the gentleman on the other side of the aisle, my friend. These prisoners included trained fighters and…”

“I thank the gentleman on the other side of the aisle, my friend. These prisoners included trained fighters and ideological extremists who are expected to travel to Syria to join the fight with the rebels. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military officer in the United States, Martin Dempsey, has warned us that intervening in Syria could assist Islamist extremists, helping them gain access to chemical weapons and biological weapons and further erode United States military readiness already suffering from sharp defense budget cuts. He has said that using force is ``no less than an act of war,'' and stated that some of the military options for Syria may not be feasible without compromising U.S. security elsewhere. He made reference to the chaos in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein and Libya after Qadhafi. He warned of the unintended consequences if Assad fell without having a viable opposition. He said ``we could inadvertently empower extremists or unleash the very chemical weapons we seek to control.'' This is a hub for jihadist activity. The American taxpayer has no obligation. In fact, I say this body must protect the American taxpayer from being involved in arming al Qaeda in Syria. We must defeat this effort, and that's why I'm in support of this today. Again, we have the major general from the Israeli military intelligence, and he said that right before our eyes the center of global jihad is developing; let's not do it. I agree with him.”