Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R., Ill.) spoke about the "decline of American leadership around the globe" and the "perception that America is on the retreat from the rest of the world" during a speech on the House floor Tuesday.
"Our enemies no longer fear us, and our allies no longer trust us," Kinzinger said.
An Iraq War veteran, he decried the fall of Fallujah to al Qaeda and sharply criticized President Obama for pulling troops out as a means of fulfilling a campaign promise, rather than making the best decision for Iraq's security by leaving a residual force.
Kinzinger also pointed to what he called a "terrible deal" struck with Iran over its nuclear program and the continued murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria as further evidence of America's global regression under the Obama administration.
"You look at Assad who's purposely targeting the Free Syrian Army and not al Qaeda opposition so that al Qaeda opposition grows to him, and he can stand in front of the West and say, 'I am the protector,'" Kinzinger said. "If we get to a point where we look at Assad, a brutal dictator in Syria, as the protector of freedom, God help us."