Louise Slaughter: “Mr. Speaker, despite our great respect and affection for those who brought their amendments to the Rules Committee…”

“Mr. Speaker, despite our great respect and affection for those who brought their amendments to the Rules Committee yesterday, it is well known in this House and in the country that the Democrat majority intends to bring the war to a close as quickly as possible and as quick as it is practicable to do so. But this bill before us today, the underlying bill before us, is humane. And it says, for goodness sake, don't redeploy troops over and over and over again unless they have had at least as much time at home to rest as they have had in combat. This is a different kind of combat, Mr. Speaker. Soldiers before have always been given recreation and rest after intense combat. Not this time. The soldiers in Iraq and all the military people of Iraq face almost instantaneous death every moment of the day and night without any respite at all. We are seeing the results of that brought home with the posttraumatic stress syndrome which is rising so rapidly. In addition to that, we are demanding at last, because we didn't have the opportunity before by not being in the majority, that these troops be equipped properly.”