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In response to the Democratic Leadership’s resolution to denounce United States action in Iraq, Congressman for All Alaska Don Young today stated:

 â€œWhat I say today is for my daughters, my Joanie and my Dawn and my grandkids…because what we are about to do tomorrow, in voting for this resolution, is begin down the slippery slope of not being able to provide the freedom and the position in this world that this country has provided for the last 90 years.  Beginning in 1916-1917, in World War I (which my father fought in and where five of my cousins were killed and where fortunately or unfortunately I did not serve, but I know many of my colleagues did), each time we went to (help) provide freedom, never once did the Congress, in their role, undermine the military or the Commander in Chief.”

“Then we came to Vietnam, and we began to fight a war by the media; a war without allowing the troops to do the job they should have done.  And in fact, we lost that war.  And immediately after withdrawing, we saw what happened...the Khmer Rouge killed two million people!  People forget that.  And then we had Grenada, which was very short and sweet, and of course the Gulf War.  And now we come to the Afghanistan war and the Iraq war.”

“I suggest to you that this resolution will undermine and cause a moral disruption to our troops.  Nowhere can they be in the field and understand that the Congress of the United States now is not going to support them when they say they will; when they say they are going to cut their funding in the future.”

“(For this) to occur tomorrow, on the 16^th, is a disservice to the Americans who will not have the opportunity to be in the greatest country in the world, (all because of) the actions of this Congress.  I urge a very, very strong ‘no’ on H. Con. Res. 63.”

The vote on H. Con, Res. 63, Disapproving of the decision the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq, is expected tomorrow evening.