Political Quotes

“The problems plaguing Afghanistan are well documented: a resurgence of pro-Taliban forces, a burgeoning narcotics trade, rampant government corruption, insufficient resources for reconstruction, stalled development, fragile political and security institutions, and sheer, mind-numbing poverty. I spent a day in Kabul last month, where I had the good fortune of visiting with the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Levin, and even during this short amount of time, the magnitude of the challenges we face there was clear. But what I also discovered is that despite these awesome challenges, there is a strong spirit amongst Afghans and coalition troops to persevere in the face of overwhelming odds. Afghans do not want the Taliban to come back. They may be disappointed by the results of President Karzai's government and broken promises by the international community. But they have been fighting for over 30 years for peace and stability. And they are not going to stop now. Not when they are this close to achieving those goals. So it is now up to us to demonstrate true global leadership and finish what we started in 2001.”