Thelma Drake Quotes

In Iraq we must succeed. Failure is not an option.

The U.S. Forces are winning in Iraq. It is to be hoped that they will win at home also.

Local Arab partners and the Iraqi government must lead the fight against ISIL. U.S. military advisers are important to this effort, but we cannot be engaged in combat operations. That is why Congress must revoke the previous war authorization and define our appropriate role in defeating ISIL.

We are succeeding in Iraq. Thank you, America.

Once you start a war, you have to win.

Listen, we’re making good progress in Iraq. Sometimes its hard to tell it when you listen to the filter.

Our military is doing everything it can to equip Iraq's forces so our troops can come home as soon as possible, but we cannot leave until the job is done.

We are succeeding in Iraq. It's a tough struggle with setbacks, but we are succeeding.

We are not going to abandon Iraq.

By the time the 2008 election arrived, we had finally won the Iraq War, or we were on the road to winning it. We won starting in the summer of 2007 going into late 2011.

I am proud of my service and proud of those who served alongside me. But war is about more than service and sacrifice - it's about winning.

When you've won the war, you're faced with the problem of winning the peace.

The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong.

A really good diplomat does not go in for victories, even when he wins them.

We have no interest in seeing an unstable Yemen or seeing a Yemen that is devastated.

Our safety at home and the cause of freedom abroad is largely contingent upon our success in Iraq.

Syrian influence has not ended yet. It is going to be a very long path.

I'm concerned about getting Iraq on its feet.

The ongoing strife in Iraq, and the billions of dollars that the President is seeking to continue that war, give me little comfort that this Administration has learned from its mistakes in Iraq.

As we continue to make great progress in the war on terror, now more than ever, it is important that members of the international community stand-by and bolster the efforts of the emerging diplomatic leaders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Clearly, a stable, unified and democratic Iraq cannot be achieved militarily by the U.S.

I have no idea what the U.S. intends to do further there and what would be the reaction of the Iraqi people. I only know that the sole option is to leave Iraq to the Iraqi people.

I think all of us who have been in Afghanistan on the ground multiple times know that what we're doing there on the ground is just not sustainable.

The big risk to British lives in 2013 is in Afghanistan. Our troops, diplomats and aid workers have made a big contribution there. But while there is an end date for Western engagement, 2014, there isn't a proper end game.

We know over very national survival is at stake; and we believe that we should support our troops, yes, and work for an outcome that results in victory.