Political Quotes

“What I think we need, before I get back to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee), who has only had one bite at the apple night and is going to get another one, we have got to have straight talk about what is happening now and a clear reality and acknowledgment of what is happening now. Let me give one example. We have a new U.S. commander in Iraq, General John Abizaid, I hope I said his name right, who has acknowledged that we are facing a guerrilla opposition, which I think is an obvious reality that we all know. What he has described as ``a classical guerrilla-type campaign'' is being waged against our armed services in stark contrast to what the Secretary of Defense has refused to acknowledge. Donald Rumsfeld has refused to acknowledge that we have got an organized resistance or a guerrilla resistance; and as Trudy Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer in her commentary said, ``You can't fight a war unless you recognize the enemy.'' Even on the military side of this conflict, until this new commander has told us the truth, General Abizaid, the civilian leadership of the Department of Defense has not faced the reality. What has happened, as we all know, is since the military victory was announced on May 1 by the President on the ship off San Diego, the American forces have been subjected to repeated ambushes and attacks. Some 35 Americans have been assassinated since that day.”