[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       CONTINUE TO TAKE THE FIELD

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, imagine my beloved St. Louis Cardinals were 
playing the much-despised Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are up by five, 
finishing the top of the ninth. Is this a cause for celebration? Is 
this a cause for victory? No.
  Unbelievable as it may seem, the Cubbies score five runs in the 
bottom of the ninth to throw the game into extra innings. There, the 
score remains until 1 a.m., five innings later. However, at the top of 
the 15th, the Cardinals fail to field a batter. The entire team has 
left the stadium. It seems that they are more worried about next day's 
1 p.m. game at home than finishing the game at hand.
  Who wins? We know, it's the team that stays on the field. Arbitrary 
deadlines and a date certain accept defeat before the conclusion of the 
contest. It is in our national security interest to continue to take 
the field and support a moderate Arab state. Leaving prior assures a 
loss for us and a victory for our opponents, which will lead to another 
extremist Islamic state.

                          ____________________