WASHINGTON \u2014 House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry warned Wednesday that political infighting on Capitol Hill is having a harmful effect on national security, both in defense budget debates and Congress\u2019 strategic planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am distressed at what\u2019s happening in both parties,\u201d said Thornberry, R-Texas<\/a>, during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies<\/a>. \u201cWe have always had fringe elements in our politics, but other than the Civil War, those things that bound us together have been stronger than the forces pulling us apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe centrifugal forces now are quite strong, here and elsewhere. And make no mistake, there are those outside our borders who are ready, willing, and more able than they have ever been before to fuel and exploit those forces to our detriment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thornberry\u2019s comments came as he was being honored with the think thank\u2019s National Security Leadership Prize, designed to recognize individuals \u201cwho put our nation’s interest ahead of political considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t