Gingrey: This resolution supports Jihadist Joe, not G.I. Joe
Gingrey criticizes Democrat plans to cut funding for troops
Washington,
Feb 16, 2007 -
U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey, M.D. today delivered the following speech in the U.S. House of Representatives criticizing the Democrat Iraq Resolution:
Mr. Speaker, the consequences of failure in Iraq are drastic. Let me just read to you what some of those are. Number one, collapse of a democratic Iraqi government, very likely leading to mass killings and genocide in the nation. Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups would use this defeat to boost recruitment, and they would use Iraq as a staging ground for deadly attacks paid for with Iraqi oil revenue. Iran and Syria would exert tremendous influence over the region. You think they are bad actors now, you just wait until this scenario plays out. And indeed the terrorists have said that Israel would be pushed into the sea.
Mr. Speaker, the real Democratic plan is coming later. And if you don't believe me, just read a recent article this week in Roll Call. I’m not going to stand up here and read it to the members. You can read it. The Progressive Caucus of the House Democratic Conference, the Out of Iraq Caucus of the House Democrat Conference, they basically say that this is just the first step. They say that in this op-ed article.
So this resolution is not meaningless. It is a first step, my colleagues, toward cutting off funding for the troops and pulling the rug out from under them. What does this say, then, to our brave fighting men and women who are trying to defend this country? We have heard Democrats say that we can't afford this war anymore; it is costing too much in lives and money; we are making too big a commitment there; and we need to bring our troops home because some other conflict may break out in this world. But I ask, Mr. Speaker, what is more important than the current war? What is more important than defeating terrorists in Iraq and helping spread democracy in the Middle East?
We have got to stop this and stop it now. Listen to what the terrorists themselves say about this conflict. This is a quote, Mr. Speaker, from Osama bin Laden himself: “Hostility toward America is a religious duty, and I’m confident that Muslims will be able to end the legend of the so-called superpower that is America.” And bin Laden's top deputy said, “The jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals. The first stage, expel the Americans from Iraq.”
Make no mistake about this, what we are doing with this resolution is not a salute to G.I. Joe, it's a capitulation to Jihadist Joe.
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