Sean Patrick Maloney: “I will always support our troops, and I thank them and honor them for their bravery and valor during the difficult task…”

“I will always support our troops, and I thank them and honor them for their bravery and valor during the difficult task of fighting the insurgents in Iraq. I also commend and admire the people of Iraq for their determination and bravery in the historic elections this week. The turnout was impressive--it was a testament to the spirit of the people and it will hopefully lead to a strong democracy. I hope and pray that we are successful in Iraq--that the violence ends, that the country is stabilized and that our soldiers come home safe, sound and soon. Unfortunately, more than 150,000 of our best and bravest remain in Iraq having been given no real plan to win the peace and no defined terms of victory. Indeed, they were sent to Iraq by an administration that was unaware of the circumstance in Iraq and unprepared to win the peace. I plan to vote ``present'' on this resolution because it calls for ``complete victory'' without actually defining victory. The administration has set tangible dates for elections and for the creation of a government, but why is it always vague about the terms of ``victory''? We have trained 100,000 Iraqi troops, will ``victory'' be achieved only after we train 100,000 more? Can victory only be won after our troops remain in Iraq in full force for another ten years? Longer than that? Our military is the best in history, and it can achieve victory in any situation, as long as it is told what victory entails.…”