James Barrett: “since the defeat of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, we have seen political, security, and economic progress in a country that…”

“since the defeat of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, we have seen political, security, and economic progress in a country that has suffered under tyranny for decades. In January, 8.5 million Iraqis voted in Iraq's first democratically elected government. In October, the constitutional referendum, the turnout neared nearly 10 million; and since April 2003, Iraq has registered more than 30,000 new businesses. Mr. Speaker, no war is without challenges, and the war on terror is no different. But to cut and run, as many of our colleagues are suggesting, would not only encourage our enemies; it will disillusion the Iraqi people, our allies, and the brave men and women in uniform risking their lives for this country every day. The security of our Nation should be bigger than inside-the-Beltway partisan politics. We need to learn from the mistake of the past, stop talking about exit strategies, and keep talking about freedom, democracy, and victory. ____________________”