Political Quotes

“What this legislation does is really simple. It does what the Iraq Study Group and other experts have recommended that we do. It makes a clear state of policy that the United States does not intend to maintain an open-ended military presence in Iraq and that we will not exercise control over Iraqi oil, and it backs up that policy with the power of the purse. And the President and his administration to this date, and I mean to this date, have not made a clear statement of this policy. Putting Congress on record with this clear statement helps take the target off our troops' backs; it supports our goals of handing over responsibility for security and public safety to Iraqi forces. Mr. Speaker, the perception that the United States plans to maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq strengthens the insurgency and fuels the violence against our troops.”