[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 22968]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 MORE TROOPS ARE NEEDED IN AFGHANISTAN

  (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. As a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, I 
learned a lot about how not to fight a war. Specifically, you cannot 
run a war from the White House and win. General McChrystal declared 
that more troops are needed in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, this 
administration has backpedaled on its pledge to the region and now is 
dragging its heels on the general's request. What must our young men 
and women in uniform think? How must their loved ones back home feel? 
The administration's waiting game torpedoes troop morale and begs 
mission failure.
  Congress needs to hear directly from General McChrystal to ensure 
political motivations in Washington don't override the needs of our 
commanders and our troops. For America, ignoring the top general's 
request for more troops is not the way to run and win a war.

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