[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 1, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13375]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH REGARDING AFGHANISTAN

  (Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, tonight the President is going to 
say in his speech, and I just got part of it, that his sending 30,000 
American troops over there is a step in the right direction for 
stabilizing Afghanistan. But then he goes on and he says it will allow 
us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 
2011.
  The one thing that you should never do is telegraph your punch. I 
can't imagine why the President is saying in his speech tonight he's 
going to start withdrawing our troops in July of 2011. Even if he plans 
to do that, he shouldn't say it, because he's telling our enemies 
exactly what we're going to do, and it's just wrong. And every military 
officer I have ever met will tell you the same thing.

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