| In a remarkable display of bipartisanship, I joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle yesterday to call on President Obama to finally bring an end to the Afghanistan War. Together, 204 Members of Congress voted for the McGovern - Jones Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. This large coalition of legislators called on the President to "provide a plan and timeframe to complete the accelerated transition of U.S. military operations to Afghan authorities."
Since the start of the Afghanistan War, we have never had as large a coalition call for our troops to come home as we did yesterday. Unfortunately, despite the strong support, this amendment did not pass. However, my long-standing desire to end this war will not waver.
Earlier this month, we finally captured Osama Bin Laden, marking an important victory in the War on Terror. Now, we must decide how we continue to successfully fight the War on Terror, while not continuing to waste money and lives in a nation that is costing us $8 billion a month.
In Afghanistan, despite our control of the cities and highways, a resurgent Taliban has taken control of the vast countryside. The Afghan military and police force have made little progress in their preparations to assume control of security operations. Corruption, ineffective leadership and contempt among the Afghani people plague the Karzai regime. Meanwhile, threats from Al Qaeda cells in other places of the globe, such as Yemen, are demanding our attention and vigilance as well.
Finally, our country is in desperate need of the money and resources we are spending to rebuild a nation halfway around the world. We have an air traffic control system that doesn't use GPS, a rail system that is running on tracks built 100 years ago, and highways that are crumbling beneath our wheels. Investing in this infrastructure will create jobs for Americans here at home, particularly in the construction sector, where unemployment is well above 10%. Yet instead of investing in our country- in building new roads, new rails and new schools, we are building these resources abroad. There is a better way to prosecute this war, and to bring our money and our troops, back home.
Ultimately, an open-ended war falls the heaviest on the brave men and women who serve multiple tours of duty in the line of fire. All too often I am reminded of the painful sacrifices our troops are making overseas. I see young men and women in the airport on my way home from Washington, sometimes in the midst of their third or fourth deployment, begging me to bring them home and convinced that our government will continue to send them into harm's way until they too have given their lives.
This Memorial Day, we pause to honor the sacrifice of these soldiers, but I suggest we do more. We must also, finally, create a timetable and plan to bring this war to an end, and begin focusing our efforts and energies on the problems we face here at home. With yesterday's vote, Congress is showing that more and more Republicans and Democrats are ready to do our part. Together, we can truly, finally, bring our nation's sons and daughters home. |
