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Alexander Remarks on Troop Funding Cut and Withdrawal Deadline Legislation
“We have changed direction in Iraq. The troops are coming out instead of going in. The mission is shifting. The military role is diminishing and diplomatic efforts are being stepped up.”
February 27, 2008 - WASHINGTON – Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor during debate on Senator Feingold’s proposal to cut troop funding and set an arbitrary date for withdrawal from Iraq.
“The Iraq Study Group recommended that we begin a transition of mission. Let's shift our military forces out of direct combat and into roles of supporting, training, and equipping Iraqi forces as security conditions on the ground permit. That is happening. It is happening province by province. … The Iraq Study Group itself, while it set a goal for a shift of mission, explicitly rejected the idea of a deadline.”
“We have changed direction in Iraq. The troops are coming out instead of going in. The mission is shifting. The military role is diminishing and diplomatic efforts are being stepped up.”
“There were four previous votes on similar funding cut and withdrawal proposals offered by Senator Feingold. … We have 100 Senators, and 49 of us are Republicans. Not all of us agree on Iraq. That means a substantial number of Democrats consistently voted with Republicans against these funding cut and withdrawal deadline amendments. I know Senator Feingold is sincere and passionate in his beliefs, but it would seem to me that four votes are enough on this subject, and--as important as it is--we could turn our attention to other issues.”
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