MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press writer | Posted: Saturday, February 17, 2007 12:00 am
WASHINGTON - Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., voted against a Democratic resolution Friday opposing President Bush's Iraq troop buildup, saying the proposal "sends a dangerous message to the terrorists in Iraq."
The U.S. House has spent most of the week debating the war, and all 435 members of the chamber were given five minutes to speak their thoughts on President Bush's plan to send an additional 20,000 troops to Iraq.
The nonbinding measure passed the newly Democratic-controlled House Friday afternoon, 246-182.
The resolution informs the terrorists that they have succeeded in dividing the United States, Cubin said during her speech Friday.
"Failing to achieve victory in Iraq will roll back the clock in the war on terror, giving al-Qaida the opportunity to establish a base in the heart of the Arab world, … a place to train, rebuild resources, and plot the demise of American citizens across the globe," she said.
Democrats have argued that increasing troops will only add to the expense of the costly war and will not achieve peace.
Cubin disagreed, saying the House resolution is "misguided and dangerous."
She noted that Bush's proposal also lays out a plan for Iraqis to take a larger role in their own security, a plan to isolate violent extremism and a plan for political and economic progress there.
"The most important thing is that it truly is a difference between protecting and preserving the Western world - not just us - and future generations, or having radical Islamists … kill Americans and kill other people around the globe that live in a culture that resembles ours," she said in an interview after her speech.
"It's not like we can sort of win," she added. "We either win this or we are destroyed."