Senator Paul: War in Afghanistan “Nothing to Do With 911. It Has to Do With Nation-Building”
Senator Rand Paul, R-Kty., took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to argue against a resolution calling for continued U.S. involvement in Afghanistan on Monday, February 4, 2019.
“Today, there is no one living who attacked us on 911 that is free. There is no one living who aided or abetted the people who attacked us on 911,” Senator Paul said.
“Is Afghanistan a mess? Sure it’s a mess. It’s always been a mess, and always will be a mess. But now our mission has changed to nation-building.”
The U.S. Senate voted Monday 68-23 to rebuff President Donald Trump for deciding to keep his promise to the American people to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.
Transcript
I want to compliment President Trump for being bold enough and strong enough to do something no American president has contemplated in decades, Republican or Democrat, and that is to end the war in Afghanistan.
We’ve been there for 17 years. We voted on a resolution initially that said we would go after the people that attacked us on 911 and anyone who aided and abetted them.
We did that.
Today, there is no one living who attacked us on 911 that is free. There is no one living who aided or abetted the people who attacked us on 911. By any measurement, we are victorious. We’ve killed bin Laden. We’ve disrupted the terror camps in Afghanistan.
Is Afghanistan a mess? Sure it’s a mess. It’s always been a mess, and always will be a mess. But now our mission has changed to nation-building.
I want to compliment President Trump for being bold and brave enough for saying enough is enough. Let’s spend that money at home. We spend $51 billion a year in Afghanistan. That money can be spent at home. I’ve got three members of my family in the military. I don’t want them to go to Afghanistan.
Everyone of our political and military leaders — Republican, Democrat and Independent — will tell you there is no military mission in Afghanistan and yet we stay. Some of the very same people who say we have no mission, in the next breath say we need to send more troops there.
We sent 100,000 and we completely had victory. As our troops came down, we’re going to send 100,000 there and keep them forever? This resolution is an insult to the President and I will oppose it. This resolution is put forward by Republicans, who say to President Trump that you are leaving precipitously from Afghanistan.
How do you leave precipitously after 17 years? 17 years, we are no longer fighting anyone who attacked us on 911. The people we are fighting were not even born when 911 happened. The war there has nothing to do with 911. It has to do with nation-building.
william chandler / February 5, 2019
Every senateWHORE that voted for war must serve in the Front Lines for the Duration.
/
David / February 5, 2019
Here’s the story they don’t report. Afghanistan is in the poppy growing business again and heroin sales are through the roof. The Bush administration is responsible for its rebirth that continued under Obama. The Afghanistan government wants our troupes to stay and protect the crops from Muslims extremists that normally destroy the crop. Trump is on to the game and he wants to stop the heroin trade in its tracks. Banks are making billions, human trafficers use it to control their victims, and last but not least the military industrial complex is making 10’s of billions of dollars guarding this crop and its shipment around the world. This is pure evil and Trump is putting a stop to it. Evil is not happy about it.
/