Political Quotes

“while I understand that the Chairwoman is prepared to accept it, this amendment causes me great concern. Given Mr. King's history in opposition to the underlying provision, I believe that this amendment is nothing more than a backdoor attempt to leaving U.S. troops in Iraq long-term. The bottom line is, Mr. Chairman, when our troops come home, they should all come home. And three times, twice in 2006 and once this year Congress passed-- and the President signed into law--legislation prohibiting permanent military bases in Iraq. The prospect of having long-term military bases would send the wrong message to our troops, the Iraqi people, and the world. The prospect of an indefinite occupation fuels the insurgency by serving as a recruiting tool for insurgents and places targets on the backs of our troops. The Iraq Study Group has recognized the importance of unequivocally declaring that we have no intention of remaining in Iraq permanently. Key administration officials, including Secretary Gates have pronounced that we are not going to establish permanent military bases in Iraq. Even President Bush has declared that we `do not support an indefinite occupation' in Iraq. Again, Mr. Chairman, I wish this were a genuine attempt to prohibit an indefinite occupation in Iraq. I'm concerned that it is not.”