[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 178 (Thursday, December 3, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H13471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NEW AFGHANISTAN POLICY

  (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as a 29-year Air Force veteran 
and prisoner of war for nearly 7 years, I know what happens when you 
try to run a war from the White House: you lose. Winning the war in 
Afghanistan, defeating al Qaeda, is vital to the safety of our Nation. 
To quote the President, ``If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency 
will mean an even larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to 
kill more Americans.''
  So let's listen to the military leadership in Afghanistan. Setting a 
timeline to end military engagement is not the way to win a war. 
Instead, it empowers our enemies and sends a wrong message to our 
troops, our allies, and the American people. We need to listen to the 
experts on the ground instead of the politicians who are thousands of 
miles away from the front. We need to stop talking about exit 
strategies and troop withdrawal and focus on giving our troops the 
resources they want, need, and deserve.
  Let's eliminate the rules and fight to win.

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