[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 42 (Monday, March 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S2992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WAR ON TERROR

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we are fortunate it has been almost 6 
years since we have been attacked here at home. There is only one 
reason for that: We have been on the offense in Afghanistan and in 
Iraq. A lot of the terrorists who murdered over 3,000 of our innocent 
civilians in New York on that fateful day are dead. Others of them are 
incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, and many others are on the run and 
dodging our military. That part of the war on terror has been an 
extraordinary success.
  Iraq has not come together in terms of the Government as quickly as 
we had hoped, and Afghanistan is still a challenge. But I wonder if our 
good friends on the other side of the aisle have any answers to the 
question: What happens if we precipitously leave? I gather the most 
recent--in fact, the 17th--different version of Iraq resolutions we are 
going to see later this week anticipates basically telling the enemy a 
date on which we will depart. I can remember when most of our friends 
on the other side of the aisle thought that was a bad idea, but I 
gather their views must be evolving as to what kind of strategy might 
be helpful. One thing is clear: If we announce to the enemy when we are 
leaving, they will come back on that day.
  So we will have another Iraq debate this week, and as the majority 
leader indicated, there will be yet another Iraq debate when the 
supplemental is before us in a few weeks. This is a debate we are more 
than willing to engage in.
  I would say to the majority leader, as I indicated last week, it 
would have been possible, I think, to have gotten a unanimous consent 
agreement to deal with the stem cell issue in a rather short period of 
time had we chosen to take up another issue that was in the six in 2006 
list of commitments the new Democratic majority made to the American 
people. Having said that, I will be in discussions with the majority 
leader today and tomorrow about how we might go forward on the Iraq 
debate. It is certainly his prerogative as the leader of the majority 
to determine what issue we proceed to, and he and I will meet later 
today and be discussing that today and tomorrow.
  As far as the 9/11 bill is concerned, I supported cloture on that 
bill. We are anxious to go on and finish it and we should be able to do 
that after lunch tomorrow.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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