‘It’s crucial that we have an opportunity to hear General’s McChrystal’s personal assessment of the mission that we confirmed him for, and that we give him an opportunity to explain why he’s concluded that more troops are needed to avoid failure in Afghanistan’

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Thursday regarding the McChrystal Counterinsurgency Plan and the McCain amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill:

“As the Senate fulfills its constitutional duty this week of providing for the common defense, it will also have an opportunity to fulfill its oversight responsibilities in the Global War on Terror and, more specifically, in the crucial theater of Afghanistan. Later today, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator McCain, will offer an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill that calls on our top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, and the Centcom Commander, General David Petraeus, to come to Washington to explain to Congress and the American people why they believe the situation in Afghanistan is so perilous, what they believe is necessary for our success, and why.

“There’s recent precedent for this. Many Americans will recall that two years ago, in accordance with a requirement contained in another Defense Appropriations bill, General David Petraeus came to Washington to explain what had gone wrong in Iraq and what he and the rest of our forces were doing to turn things around. By providing a sober assessment of the situation that cut through the political cross-currents of the moment, General Petraeus’s testimony, along with that of Ambassador Ryan Crocker, focused the national debate. It left us newly confident in their ability to lead us in Iraq. And it set us on a path of progress that continues today.

“No one is arguing that the two situations are identical. They’re clearly not. But it’s hard to deny the urgency of the assessment that General McChrystal sent to the White House in late August, parts of which have been made public. And it’s impossible to ignore his depiction of a grave and deteriorating situation on the very soil where Al Qaeda terrorists plotted the 9/11 attacks. General McChrystal’s assessment of the worsening situation in Afghanistan should be of concern to all of us, particularly its account of a resurgent Taliban and a resilient Al Qaeda. As the President told a Turkish audience in April, ‘The world has come too far to let this region backslide, and to let al Qaeda terrorists plot further attacks.’

“But there’s also reason to be confident. At a time of worsening violence in Iraq, America was fortunate to be able to turn to General Petraeus, the man who literally wrote the book on counterinsurgency. And now, at a time of worsening violence in Afghanistan, we’re just as fortunate to be able to turn to General McChrystal, who in reported previous combat experience supervised, planned, and executed counterterrorism operations.

“No one is better equipped to assess the situation on the ground — and whether it calls for a new counterinsurgency strategy, or for a continuation of the same kind of counterterrorism strategy which the previous Administration pursued, and which the current Vice President is reportedly urging the current administration to embrace.

“Earlier this year, President Obama expressed his confidence in General McChrystal by appointing him to his current mission. Following the President’s lead, the Senate expressed its confidence in General McChrystal by confirming him for his current mission without dissent. Now it’s time for Congress and the President to work together on a plan for success.

“Since no strategy will succeed without the support of the public, the President will doubtlessly want to explain to the American people why he plans to accept or reject the McChrystal Plan. This is especially true of a counterinsurgency strategy, which, by definition, requires a large commitment of troops and resources and great endurance on the part of the armed forces and the public alike.

“Congress, for its part, has a responsibility to fund and to oversee our armed forces. Part of that is ensuring that we have the best information possible, and that we make that information available to the American people. And that’s why it’s crucial that we have an opportunity to hear General McChrystal’s personal assessment of the mission that we confirmed him for, and that we give him an opportunity to explain why he’s concluded that more troops are needed to avoid failure in Afghanistan.

“General Petraeus’s testimony served a necessary purpose during an earlier debate over strategy. General McChrystal’s will do the same in this one.

“We know he’d be a willing witness. General McChrystal has spoken freely about his assessment on network television. And he recently told a visitor to Afghanistan that, if asked, he would welcome the opportunity to come to Washington to make the case for additional troops. He also said that it’s his sacred duty to provide the unvarnished truth. With today’s vote — which I urge our friends on the other side of the aisle to support — the Senate will give him a chance to do both.”

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