From Rep. Bill Sali, Idaho’s 1st Congressional District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bill Sali (ID-01) issued the following statement tonight in response to the House vote to declare defeat and micromanage the Iraq war:

“No one likes war. We all wish that victory in Iraq had been clear-cut and definitive and that, by now, a stable and free government in Baghdad was operating well.

“But we are at war, and we owe it to our soldiers and to our national security to win this war by supporting our generals in the field so we can bring our soldiers safely home.

“I am not a general. Speaker Pelosi is not a general. And Members of Congress have no business superimposing their opinions upon the judgments of our generals.

“With this vote, we’ve just let the world know that we’re ready to declare defeat. We’ve just let the world know that we’re abandoning our mission and abandoning the people of Iraq. In this dangerous and uncertain world, our enemies of all stripes will quickly view America as weak and lacking resolve. This is the most chilling message we could possibly send our allies, our enemies and our men and women in uniform.”