W. Todd Akin: “for the last year the Democrats have been saying that the war in Iraq is lost and we should pull our troops out, and…”

“for the last year the Democrats have been saying that the war in Iraq is lost and we should pull our troops out, and they were, of course, opposed to the surge. But after hearing from witnesses of every political stripe week after week on the oversight subcommittee, this profound reality became obvious: The least costly and best alternative for America is not to lose. It is to win. We are more than halfway through the campaign, and it is too costly to quit and to go back. The concept that we can win is novel to Democrats perhaps, who think in top-down solutions in Washington and in Iraq. But our new military strategy is proving successful. Just as our Nation grew from the bottom up, town by town, State by State, so also federalism shows success in Iraq. Local communities are working closely with our military to curb violence. For this reason, we must ensure that they have the freedom and the autonomy to continue to develop. The best alternative for America in Iraq is to move forward to win the peace.”