Political Quotes

“here is the lead sentence from an article in this day's New York Times. This headline also appeared in other newspapers around the country. It ran under the headline of ``U.S. General in Iraq Outlines Troop Cuts.'' Mr. President, I think this first paragraph says most of it: The top American commander in Iraq has drafted a plan that projects sharp reductions in the United States military presence there by the end of 2007, with the first cuts coming this September, American officials say. This, of course, we have learned came from General Casey. This announcement from our military was one piece of good news for those of us who believe we need a new course in Iraq. But it was not the only good news we received this weekend regarding Iraq. Another encouraging sign came from Baghdad itself where the Prime Minister believes it is also the time to start thinking about the withdrawal of United States troops. Together, these reports--one from General Casey, the one on the chart, and the other from Prime Minister Maliki--provided a glimmer of hope for those of us who have been demanding a new direction in the war in Iraq, a change of course. This afternoon, I want to note the similarity between General Casey's apparent plan to withdraw U.S. forces and the plan put forth by Senate Democrats on this floor last week with the Defense authorization bill. Our plan, designed by Senators Levin and Reed, is very much like this program shown on the chart.…”