Republican House members are known for saying whacky stuff, but this is an embarrassing statement to make from Shimkus and illustrates a really important point. The Republicans treat the war as a game instead of something real and tangible. When my favorite team loses---I don't see anyone in the stands or on the team blown up by a car bomb. And we won't get into the whole Cubs/Curse of the Billie Goat thing either. We'll stick to the facts...

Download Download

Mr. Shimkus: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Imagine my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are playing the much despised Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are are up by five finishing the top of the ninth. Is this a cause for celebration? Is this a cause for victory? No. Unbelievable as it may seem, the Cubbies score five runs in the bottom of the ninth to throw the game into extra innings. There the score remains until 1:00 a.m., five innings later. However at the top of the 15th the Cardinals fail to field a batter. The entire team has left the stadium.

It seems that they are more worried about next day's 1:00 p.m. game at home than finishing the game at hand. Who wins? We know, it's the team that stays on the field. Arbitrary deadlines and a date certain accept defeat before the conclusion of the contest. It is our national security interest to continue to take the field and support a moderate Arab state. Leaving prior assures a loss for us and victory for our opponents which will lead to another extremist Islamic state.