Tim Walz: “Today we will begin a long overdue debate about the President's troop escalation plan, and the Iraq war in general. I…”

“Today we will begin a long overdue debate about the President's troop escalation plan, and the Iraq war in general. I spoke earlier this morning, and I had the opportunity to address some of the conflict between the testimony of experts and this administration's wishful thinking in regard to this escalation. What is said here on the floor of Congress, what is said by our experts and what is said by the administration matters. It matters because our troops will be asked to fulfill the mission that comes out of these discussions. Our debate on this resolution is about far more than expressing our disapproval for the President. We offer this debate in the hopes that it will shape the mission that our soldiers are asked to carry out, one that is based on facts and reality, not blind ideology. I retired from the Army National Guard in the spring of 2005, and the unit I served with is now in Iraq. Many of these soldiers were kids that I taught in my high school classroom, that I coached on our football team. They joined my Guard unit, and I trained them. We deployed together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and now they are deployed again to Iraq. As a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, I know that our soldiers are trained to fulfill the mission they are given, but having a mission that is achievable is the key to any military success.”