Political Quotes

“today the Senate will vote to begin consideration of legislation that will address some of the seemingly never-ending challenges the world--including the United States--is facing in the Middle East. The decision made at the beginning of the 20th century by then First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to convert British ships from coal to oil for fuel changed world history by making access to Middle East oil reserves a national security imperative for all developed nations. More recently, on 9/11 of 2001, when nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives in a terrorist attack directed from Afghanistan on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we learned a hard lesson: Although separated by an ocean, what happens in the region does not stay in the region. Finally, with the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the nuclear aspirations of Iran--the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism in the world--to attain them, the relative stability and security of the Middle East have a direct connection to our national security, as well as that of our allies, like Israel. With the administration's recent announcement that the United States will begin withdrawing troops from Syria, this debate and these votes could not be more timely. While I am comforted by National Security Advisor John Brennan's recent statement that the withdrawal from Syria will be conditions- based, the precise details of how and when it will be executed remain to be seen.…”