Eliot Engel: ‘We Are the Leaders, and We Should Act Like It’
Josh Rogin | Washington Post | Dec. 23, 2020
…A true American success story, Engel grew up poor in the Bronx housing projects, attended New York City public schools and graduated from Hunter College. A former schoolteacher and guidance counselor before earning a law degree and turning to politics, Engel says he is not finished working and is planning his next steps.
He used his parting speech on the House floor to call for a return to the practice of leaving U.S. partisan political battles “at the water’s edge” and putting country over party when dealing with national security. He called on Congress to reassert its role in foreign policy and to use that power to advance our values and stand up for the afflicted worldwide.
“We don’t want to be policemen of the world,” he said, but “there are times when we need to draw a line and get involved because if we don’t, history will judge us.”
