John Cornyn: “I start by telling the Senator from Missouri how much I appreciate his leadership on this issue. As the ranking member…”

“I start by telling the Senator from Missouri how much I appreciate his leadership on this issue. As the ranking member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, he knows as well as anyone what is at stake in Iraq and in the global war on terror. I know his son, Sam, is a member of the Marine Corps and has served in Iraq. I believe he is either back or headed back here very soon, so this is a matter in which the Senator from Missouri has a personal investment, in addition to the larger investment all Americans have in making sure our security is protected to the extent possible. That is what it boils down to. Some say we have to do this for the Iraqis. I suggest, as laudable as that is, we need to do this for us. What do I mean by 'this'? I mean what the Iraq Study Group--the bipartisan group created to look into the challenge of the conflict in Iraq--recommended. They pointed out quite clearly that it is in America's vital security interests to leave Iraq when we do. Of course, that is the goal we all share. We want to leave Iraq, but we must leave Iraq based on conditions where Iraq can sustain itself, defend itself, and govern itself.”