The conflict in Iraq has lasted longer than many anticipated and now some are calling for the immediate withdrawal of United States military personnel from Iraq.  While this approach may look good on the surface, it would put dangerous restrictions on our military and jeopardize the overall mission there.  I have great respect for the service Congressman Murtha has given this great nation, both as a Marine and a Member of Congress, but I believe he is wrong on this issue.  Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat from Connecticut, recently summed up the situation well, saying:

"Two-thirds (of Iraqis) say they are better off than they were under Saddam, and a resounding 82% are confident their lives in Iraq will be better a year from now than they are today. What a colossal mistake it would be for America’s bipartisan political leadership to choose this moment in history to lose its will and, in the famous phrase, to seize defeat from the jaws of the coming victory."

We must resist the temptation to politicize this issue and stand firm against terrorists around the world so that we do not face them here in our homeland.  We owe it to our servicemen and women, and to the Iraqi people.  When a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq came before the House of Representatives, it was resoundingly defeated by a vote of 3-403.