"We will oppose this poison pill; we will oppose this measure that ties the hands of our generals and publicly announces a withdrawal date to the enemy"
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Thursday regarding arbitrary timetables for Iraq troop withdrawals attached to the emergency war supplemental:
"This bill should be about providing our troops in the field with the resources they require to prevail. Regrettably, the Democrat leadership chose instead to make it into a message to our troops and the Iraqis that their mission won't succeed.
"Just last week this very same measure was firmly rejected by a bipartisan majority of the Senate. To include this language again is to effectively block funding for our troops. We will oppose this poison pill; we will oppose this measure that ties the hands of our generals and publicly announces a withdrawal date to the enemy. We will, however, continue to give General Petraeus the support and resources necessary to complete his important mission."