The Congress Strikes Back With The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act

   A few remarks by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. John Murtha, and Rep. Patrick Murphy before the vote on Friday

 Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

“Rather than sending more troops into the chaos that is the Iraqi civil war, we must be focused on bringing the war to an end. We can do that by passing this bill that transforms the performance benchmarks that have already been endorsed by President Bush and the Iraqi government, into requirements…Benchmarks without deadlines are just words. Four years of this war, words are not enough.”

Rep. John Murtha:

“My grandmother lived to be 96. I was 6 years old when she died. She said you’re on this earth to make a difference. We’re gonna make a difference with this bill, we’re gonna bring those troops home, and we’re gonna start changing the direction of this great country.”

Rep. Patrick Murphy

“To those on the other side of the aisle who are opposed, I want to ask you the same questions that my gunner asked me when I was leading a convoy up and down Ambush Alley one day. He said, ‘Sir, what are we doing over here? What’s our mission? When are these Iraqis going to come off the sidelines and fight for their own country?’ So to my colleagues across the aisle - - - your taunts about supporting our troops ring hollow if you are still unable to answer those questions now four years later.”       The Gave

  You can click here to watch them make these statements along with the comments of more House members.

 

Technorati tags: Congress, troop readiness, Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, Bush Administration, troop withdrawal