11578 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 DECLARING THAT THE UNITED It is my firm belief that if this fact- future of our military? Our forces will STATES WILL PREVAIL IN THE finding and reporting process is under- come out of this effort seriously GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR taken, it will set the stage for further strained, both in personnel and in The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- evaluation and consensus-building both equipment. The equipment in is ant to House Resolution 868, pro- inside and outside of Congress on our wearing out two to nine times the ceedings will now resume on the reso- role in Iraq and will go a long way to time rate. Some equipment has lution (H. Res. 861) declaring that the ensure that our future involvement added as much as 27 years’ worth of United States will prevail in the Global there continues to be the right policy, wear and tear in the last 3 years in War on Terror, the struggle to protect both for Iraq and America. Iraq. We must continue to fund defense Mr. MURTHA. I yield 4 minutes to freedom from the terrorist adversary. requirements to meet unpredictable fu- The Clerk read the title of the resolu- the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. ture security needs. tion. SKELTON). Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, after I rec- The SPEAKER pro tempore. When Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, as a ognize the distinguished gentleman proceedings were postponed on Thurs- member of the Armed Services Com- from Virginia, I ask unanimous con- mittee, through the years I have had day, June 15, 2006, 61 minutes of debate sent that the distinguished gentleman the opportunity to visit and watch remained on the resolution. from California (Mr. DANIEL E. LUN- those in uniform as they trained, as The Committee on International Re- GREN), who sits on the Judiciary Com- lations has 2 minutes remaining, the they sailed aboard ship. I have visited mittee, be allowed to control the re- with them in difficult places through Committee on Armed Services has 51⁄2 maining time on our side. minutes remaining, the Committee on the years, most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. I must tell you how im- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there the Judiciary has 23 minutes remain- mensely proud I am of those young objection to the request of the gen- ing, and the minority leader’s designee men and young women who wear the tleman from North Carolina? has 301⁄2 minutes remaining. There was no objection. Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I uniform of the United States. We asked for a debate on the issue of Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I am now am pleased to yield the remainder of Iraq. We were led to believe that we pleased to recognize for 3 minutes the our time to the gentleman from Penn- would be debating and discussing at distinguished gentleman from Virginia sylvania (Mr. GERLACH) with whom I length the issue of Iraq. Then the reso- (Mr. GOODLATTE) who chairs the House had the honor of visiting our troops in lution was put forward for us, which we Agriculture Committee and who sits on Afghanistan and Iraq, the front line of are discussing today, which is a shot- the House Judiciary Committee. the war on terror. gun blast all across the Middle East Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, just Mr. GERLACH. I thank the gentle- and its problems and , and a over 3 years ago the world watched as woman from Florida. footnote is Iran. a treacherous tyrant disregarded Mr. Speaker, I think most of us un- So we should be discussing the future resolutions and derstand we must succeed in Iraq if we of our young people as they proceed in burrowed into the bunkers of Baghdad. are to win this global war on terror. Iraq, not everywhere else, because the Within a short period of time, coalition Like any war, we may not want to be issue we thought was before us was forces dismantled Saddam Hussein’s re- there, but now we must successfully that. I must tell you that I take a back gime, which was built on fear, murders, complete the task before us. seat to no one in providing for the assassinations, torture and lies. And It is not and will not be easy. But as troops, the young people in uniform one said, there is no substitute for vic- today this despotic dictator stands on and their families, because their fami- trial before the Iraqi people in a court- tory. We must prevail. But at the same lies are so very, very important. Hav- time, we also need to make it undeni- room that is a stone’s throw from his ing members of my family in uniform, prison cell. ably clear to the Iraqi Government I understand the importance thereof. that our patience and support are not While insurgents and terrorists con- Sadly, this is not about Iraq. Last tinue their attempts to dismantle the blank checks that can be cashed with year this Congress drafted, and the American lives and tax dollars ad infi- progress that the Iraqi people have President signed into law, words that made, our resolution to see a free Iraq nitum. said calendar year 2006 should be a pe- To do that properly and effectively, must remain as strong as ever. Iraqis riod of significant transition to full have also demonstrated their commit- it is imperative that the Congress do Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi security ment to rebuilding their nation from its job to proactively and comprehen- forces taking the lead for the security the ashes of tyranny by their over- sively evaluate the current level of of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby whelming participation in three demo- progress of the Iraqi Government and creating the conditions for the phased cratic elections. clearly report its findings on an ongo- redeployment of United States forces ing basis to the American people. from Iraq. On the eve of completion of Iraq’s By doing so, we would be firmly That is what we should be discussing. democratically elected government, co- pushing the Iraqis themselves to con- It should be narrow, intellectual dis- alition forces and Iraqi police tracked tinue their efforts to stand up and take cussion, a serious discussion about that down and killed the man Osama bin charge of their destiny. The American country and its future, full sovereignty Laden referred to as the prince of al people are looking to us to answer transition to their government and Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi. their questions on how much progress how it is being stood up, how their se- Zarqawi led one of the bloodiest insur- is being made, what are the Iraqis curity forces and Iraqi police forces are gent groups in Iraq in a bloody cam- themselves willing to do to fight for being stood up, and how we are train- paign of shootings, bombings behead- their freedom, and when will the men ing them and also creating conditions ings and kidnappings aimed at derail- and women come home. for the phased redeployment of Amer- ing democracy in Iraq. For this very reason, I recently in- ican forces from that country. America is the world’s leader in lay- troduced a resolution calling on cer- That is the law of the land, signed by ing the foundations for freedom and fu- tain House and Senate committees to the President, passed by this Congress. ture peace. We have stood for the evaluate and issue specific findings and That is in conflict with the resolution spread of democracy around the world. conclusions on the progress of the Iraqi before us. As we say back home, they We believe in it and have stood for it, Government to take over operational have done gee and haw together very not only for ourselves, for Europeans, control to maintain proper civil order, well. But the law of the land is what we Latin Americans, Asians and Africans. to foster economic growth and self-suf- should be discussing today and all the We have stood for it in the Middle East ficiency and preserve the Iraqi people’s parts thereof. for the Israelis and now for Arabs in freedoms as set forth in their Constitu- But what concerns me most of all is the wider Muslim world, in Afghani- tion. at the end of the day, what about the stan and in Iraq.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11579 With our leadership ideals that have servicemembers. I have voted every time to brought up Beirut. I remember being inspired our history, freedom, democ- approve the funds to rebuild Iraq, but if we on the floor, and the Speaker of the racy and human dignity are increas- can spend billions of American tax dollars on House asked me to go to Beirut after ingly inspiring individuals in nations building new roads, water treatment plants the President had deployed 1,400 troops throughout the world, because free na- and schools in Iraq, we can invest some pub- to Beirut. Go over to Beirut, see what tions tend toward peace. The advance lic resources in our urgent infrastructure needs is going on. I did. of liberty will make America more se- here at home. A friend of mine who had been in cure. Congress has played a critical role in issues Vietnam with me was there, the com- Americans have felt the sting of the like providing armor for our troops and their manding officer, and the rules we en- terrorist threat on our own soil, and we vehicles, improving pay and incentives for bet- gaged in were very loose. Only had 1,400 must make clear that we are dedicated ter recruitment and retention of our troops and people, did not even have people on the to preventing any future attacks by care for their families and creating the Home- high ground to protect themselves. tracking and eliminating terrorist land Security Department to protect our peo- They were shooting down at the Ma- threats. America is more secure today, ple from the threat of terrorist attack. I call on rines down in the valley. thanks to the brave men and women of Congress to reject the administration’s pro- I came back and I told the President, our Armed Forces whose dedication, posed cuts to our vital National Guard, and I I told Weinberger, I told Tip O’Neill, patriotism and bravery are helping ad- will continue to work on the U.S. House Com- you have got to get them out of there. vance freedom and democracy in Iraq mittee on Homeland Security to support our They did not, 241 Marines were killed. and around the world. first responders who keep our people safe. The President saw it was a mistake; President Bush said it best while I will vote for this resolution because I sup- he changed direction. One thing about speaking to our troops during his re- port our troops, but I have serious concerns President Reagan, he understood when cent visit to Iraq: this is a moment, both with certain provisions in the resolution to change. He understood when you this is a time where the world can turn and the administration’s approach to Iraq. change direction. He had one of the one way or the other, where the world Specifically, the resolution states support for biggest tax cuts in the history of Con- can be a better place or a more dan- the goal of a ‘‘unified Iraq.’’ I do not believe gress, and then he had one of the big- gerous place. The United States of that the Congress should dictate the contours gest tax increases. People forget he had America and citizens such as your- of the map of the Middle East. As long as they a tax increase because he wanted to selves are dedicated to making sure do so in a peaceful manner, the Iraqi people change direction. that the world we leave behind is a bet- should be free to decide whether or not unity, He changed directions in Central ter place for all. Support freedom, sup- confederation or independence is the best America. I supported him. They burned port peace, support our troops, support form of government to meet their needs. And me in effigy back at home because I this resolution. the administration’s failed approach of going it supported Reagan all through the Cen- tral American thing, but we came to b 0930 alone and refusing to hold high level officials accountable for clear mistakes must end. compromise in the end, and he saw we Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Stubbornness is not a strategy and slogans had to change direction and he did. the gentleman from North Carolina will not win this conflict. What I am saying today, Somalia, I (Mr. ETHERIDGE) for a unanimous con- Let me state clearly that last week’s elimi- told President Bush I, do not go into sent request. nation of terrorist leader Abu Musab Al Somalia because if you go into Somalia Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank the gen- Zarqawi by American special forces is an im- you will not be able to get out. He said tleman for yielding. portant accomplishment. I commend our mili- to me, I will have them out by inau- Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to tary personnel who carried out the operation. guration day. He had lost the election the debate on this resolution on Iraq. I will This success points out the importance of by that time. He went in after the elec- vote for House Resolution 861 because I human intelligence methods and demonstrates tion was over, and he said, I will have strongly support our troops. the usefulness of offering awards of large them out by inauguration day. Well, he Mr. Speaker, I recently returned from Iraq, sums of money for information on America’s did not get them all out by inaugura- which was my second trip to that war zone. I enemies. This success stands in sharp con- tion day, and we changed direction am tremendously proud of all the men and trast to the administration’s continued failure to there. We changed direction in the women serving there, especially all the North find Osama bin Laden. We should immediately wrong direction. We went after Adide, Carolinians who have served and continue to double the bounty on bin Laden and continue who was a tribal leader. We sent in spe- serve there. I am pleased that we have made to increase it at regular intervals until the ter- cial forces. They bungled the thing. progress in training the Iraqi military to begin rorist mastermind is defeated. They fired the Secretary of Defense. to provide for that country’s security needs. Finally, Mr. Speaker, I regret the partisan They had accountability, and President Unfortunately, there is a great deal of work to manner in which this resolution has been Clinton changed direction. We rede- be done to train Iraqi police, government and brought to this floor, which my North Carolina ployed. other civil institutions that are critical to a sta- colleague Republican Congressman WALTER So these are not times to criticize ble and functioning society. There is a long JONES has rightly termed ‘‘a charade.’’ From Presidents. This is something that way to go to make Iraq a sustainable, peace- the very beginning, the Bush White House and needed to be done. ful country, and the administration must Republican congressional leadership have ex- Now, we are in the same position change course to build coalitions with our al- ploited the for partisan gain. I believe here. Iraqi civilian deaths, 2003, 250; lies and all peaceful nations of the world to co- the blood of our soldiers should be off limits Iraqi civilian deaths in 2006, 1,500 a operate in rebuilding Iraq. for political gamesmanship, and with more month. Went from we are there, we are Although I strongly support our troops, I than 20,000 American soldiers killed or not someplace else, we are there, and have serious concerns about the administra- wounded in Iraq, the American people deserve that is how many deaths. Iraqi tion’s current policies regarding Iraq. I believe better than petty politics on this issue. kidnappings per day, 2003, two; today, the ultimate goal must be victory in Iraq. We I will vote for this resolution because I sup- there is 35 a day, 35 a day. U.S. troop need more burden-sharing support from other port our troops, but we can do so much better. fatalities, there were 37 in May of 2003; countries because the whole world has a tre- Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield in May of 2006, 68. We are there. We are mendous stake in a stable Iraq and a peaceful myself as much time as I may con- there as occupiers in Iraq. Iraqi Army Middle East. The administration must do a sume. police fatalities were 10 in 2003; 149 in better job of providing for our soldiers in the I want to go over a couple of things May of this year. field and our veterans and military families here that some of it was talked about Now, this is not progress. We are on here at home. Specifically, the communities yesterday and I said we need a plan. We the ground with 138,000 troops. The surrounding Fort Bragg in my district need also need a change of direction. number of estimated insurgents, and I more Federal funds to build new schools to Now, why do I say we need a change do not know how they find out who meet the needs of the children of our of direction? A number of people they are, but he said there is 3,000, Mr.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11580 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 Speaker, in May of 2003. There is now first, and I said 7 percent, I am not My other message is very simply and 20,000 insurgents. Now why did that going to pay 7 percent. It went up to 21 plainly and humbly, while it will be come about? Because they look at us as percent. So we suffered because it was hard for some around this country to occupiers. guns and butter. Here it is the tax cuts hear, we are winning the war in Iraq. Only the Iraqis can solve this prob- and troops in the field paying for the We are defeating the enemy in every lem. The United States cannot solve war. engagement. The enemy has never the problem as a foreign occupier, and So stay and pay is not a solution. I taken down so much as a full platoon our troops are caught in between a say redeploy and be ready. Get our in any military engagement. It is an civil war. troops out of harm’s way and put them extraordinary credit to our soldiers. Daily attacks by insurgents, 2003, on the periphery and let the Iraqis set- We have had three national elections. there were five per day; today, there is tle this themselves. Only the Iraqis can We have stood up a quarter of a million 90. Monthly incidents of sectarian vio- settle this, Mr. Speaker. Iraqis in uniform, and there is now a lence, you want to know what sec- Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of freestanding elected government in tarian violence is? Sectarian violence my time. Iraq. We are winning the war in Iraq, is civil war. May 2003, 5; May of 2006, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- Mr. Speaker. It is a message that I 250. We are there. We are there in the fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 would deliver and from the hearts of country, and it has increased from 5 to seconds just to say I do not dispute the the soldiers that I met. I would also 250. figure given by the gentleman from say I believe in this mission. So do not tell me stay the course is Pennsylvania. I dispute his logic. Support the resolution. the answer. We need a change in direc- I question the cause-and-effect rela- Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield tion. We need to assess this situation tionship. Our presence has not created myself 2 minutes. and change. All of us want the same so- terrorists. Terrorists were around Vietnam is the same thing. I believed lution. We want a stable Middle East. much before that. In the instance he in my mission in Vietnam. All of us be- It is important not only to the United cited with previous Presidents, yes, lieved in it, but in 1967 when I came back from Vietnam, they had an elec- States; it is important to the inter- they did react, but obviously the total- tion. President Lyndon Johnson said national community. ity of their reaction did not stop ter- everything’s all right. Matter of fact, I Bush I worked with the international rorism. We have a different plan, a dif- have a bullet that they gave me, that community, and he got a coalition to- ferent approach. That is what this the first Marines gave to us when we gether, and it was successful, and he President is following. left there that said everything’s all knew the limitations of what he could Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 right. We all believed in our mission. do. He did not go into Iraq, even minutes to the distinguished gen- That did not mean we were going to though there were some zealots who tleman from Indiana (Mr. PENCE), a win the war. That is the problem. wanted to go into Iraq. He knew, and member of the Judiciary Committee. At times we have to change direc- he said in his book, If I go into Iraq, I Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the tion. When we look at the Vietnam will have to occupy it, I will have to re- gentleman for yielding. War, there was an election right after I construct it, and I will lose the coali- Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support came back in 1967, and President Lyn- tion. So he did not go into Iraq, and he of this resolution and commend the Re- don Johnson said, now it is all over, was absolutely right. I supported him publican leadership of the House of they will be able to do this themselves. at the time, even though a lot of people Representatives for facilitating this 37,000 Americans killed after that, and had said they did not support what he extraordinary debate over the war on you know the results. It was not be- was doing. terror and our military efforts in Iraq. cause of the public. It was because the Somebody yesterday said, oh, you I have made three trips to Iraq over enemy kept forcing us into the type of cannot measure the amount of water the last 3 years. I have led delegations war they were fighting. It was the kind they have per day, that does not mean to Baghdad, Basra, Ramadi, Balad and of war we cannot fight. We could have anything, the amount of electricity. Mosul, and I have two messages to con- gone all out and obviously destroyed Let me tell you something. I was with- tribute to this discussion. Hanoi, but we had to worry about the out electricity for 8 hours last winter. In the course of those trips, I have Russians and the Chinese. It is not pleasant. I was cold. Now, it met with our soldiers in mess halls. I This is a real problem. It is guerrilla- does not get that cold in Iraq, but I was have flown in the belly of C–130s. I have type war, and when we fight, we have without it for 8 hours and the house talked with soldiers far away from any- to use overwhelming force. When we got cold. I thought to myself, in Iraq, one with any brass on their shoulders, use overwhelming force, you make en- they only have sometimes 8 to 10 hours and I have never met a soldier that did emies, and when you make enemies, of electricity a day. Water, they have 1 not believe in the effort in Iraq. Let me you lose the hearts and minds. hour of water. say again, Mr. Speaker, in all of my I am saying the same thing you are. There is less oil production than be- three different travels throughout the We want to win some kind of, I do not fore. Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz said lengths and bounds of Iraq, I have say victory. We want to win stability we are going to pay for this with the never met a U.S. soldier in uniform in the Middle East. That is the key be- oil production. Well, it has fallen far who did not believe in the mission. cause it is important to the free world. short of that. I think the OMB chair- Each and every one I met believed in That is what is so important. man, I think he at the time predicted the nobility of the cause. So we all are saying the same thing. this war would cost maybe $50 billion, Each of them expressed the view of One of the top generals said to me, that and Wolfowitz said it would cost noth- an Indiana soldier by the name of Jim part cannot be won militarily all the ing because they would pay for it. Well, Newland from Washington, Indiana, in time they will say. General Pace said it right now we have spent $450 billion. Baghdad. I will never forget the day I cannot be won militarily. So how do we The longer we stay, the more we pay, said to Jim, what do you think, Jim; do it? Diplomatically, politically and in lives, in hurt to the families, the are we doing the right thing here? He when the Iraqis say we are going to more we pay in financial resources. looked me in the eye and he said, Con- give amnesty to people that kill Amer- It took us 15 years to get over the gressman, we are out on patrol every icans, I mean, they fired the guy, okay, Vietnam War. We had 18 percent inter- day on the streets of Baghdad. We look but that is a signal to them. We have 47 est rates. We had 13 percent unemploy- this enemy in the eye every day, and percent of the Iraqis say that they ment. Through the Reagan administra- he said to me very solemnly, we have want to kill Americans. They think tion the Federal Reserve had to in- got to stop these people right here. that is patriotic for them to kill Amer- crease rates to 21 percent. I remember They kill Americans because they like icans. That is disturbing to me. because at the time I was trying to buy it. That is the sentiment I heard from The reason I started speaking out, a house. I remember trying to buy it at our soldiers. one of the reasons, I remember I was in

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11581 the hospital. One young woman said to these United States. And I believe that we Members of the Homeland Security Com- me, with her husband lying there on have been doing a fine job of trying to make mittee have worked hard to insure the safety the bed, wounded after a second trip, sure that terrorists or agents of foreign powers of Americans, our commerce, and our infra- she said, you know, he did not enlist, Do Not harm us on our shores. structure. Since September 11, we have not this woman said, to fight for the Iraqis. Since September 11, the Homeland Security had a major terrorist incident in this country. He enlisted to fight for America. Committee has enacted or sponsored legisla- And I believe that it is appropriate to attribute It has got to be in the national secu- tion designed to insure the safety of the peo- this positive development at least in part to the rity interest of America. ple living in this country. In H.R. 1544, the efforts of the leadership of this Committee, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of Faster and Smarter First Responders Act, we which is determined to make sure that the my time. tried to make sure that homeland security homeland is indeed a safe place. Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- grant dollars are spent according to risk, and Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve fornia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to not with regard to political concerns. In H.R. the balance of my time. 1817, the Homeland Security Authorization Act yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from b 0945 Pennsylvania (Mr. DENT), a member of for Fiscal Year 2006, we authorized the re- Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- the Homeland Security Committee and cruitment and training of 2,000 new border pa- fornia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased now the Government Reform Committee. trol agents to insure that terrorists are not able to yield time to the distinguished gen- Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in sup- to penetrate our land borders. tlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. SCHMIDT), port of this resolution. As part of the Global War on Terror we who sits on the Government Reform Today, the global war on terror is have likewise worked hard to make sure that Committee, 2 minutes. being waged on two primary fronts, as goods moving into this country are secure. In H.R. 4954, the SAFE Port Act of 2006, the Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise we know: Afghanistan and Iraq. today to celebrate the new freedoms In Afghanistan, a resurgent Taliban Committee authorizes $821 million annually for port security programs. This bill further re- women have recently discovered in the is attempting to undermine the efforts Middle East, freedoms that the hard- of the United States and our NATO al- quires the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, to deploy nuclear and radiological detec- working heroes in uniform have given lies. The threat from these murderous them, freedoms they now not only extremist terrorists remains real, and tion systems at 22 U.S. seaports by the end of FY07, an action that will cover 98 percent cherish but themselves will fight for. if one does not believe us, then I sug- There are 50 million new lovers of gest reviewing the events of recent of incoming maritime containers. Further, it makes sure that the people working at our freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their days in Canada, where the terrorists, liberation from oppression should com- motivated by Canada’s participation in port facilities are properly cleared and identi- fied by forcing DHS to set deadlines for the pel every freedom-loving citizen on Afghanistan, unsuccessfully attempted Earth to rejoice. I too am so proud of to decapitate the Canadian govern- implementation of the Transportation Worker Information Credential, TWIC, program, a bio- the freedom we as a Nation have ment. Mr. Speaker, the United States metrically-enhanced identification card system brought to the oppressed. and our NATO allies must remain reso- designed to make sure that those who would However, some were more oppressed lute in Afghanistan. seek to commit acts of terrorism against us than others. Women had no voice, no In Iraq, which I visited last year, I are Not allowed to work within the U.S. port opportunity, no hope, no dreams. All of believe it is important and imperative system. that is changing, changing because we that this Congress must have a serious, We have also worked hard to make sure have championed the cause of freedom. sober discussion about the con- that our transportation modalities are also pro- Millions of young girls this very day sequences of failure in Iraq and what tected in this Global War on Terror. In H.R. are getting something they dared not that means for the future. Failure in 5441, the Homeland Security Appropriations dream about a few short years ago: an Iraq means a more destabilized Middle bill, which the House passed on May 25, education. Today, women are voting. East that will be manifested by in- 2006, we appropriated $2.05 billion for Coast They are also serving as legislators in creasing sectarian strife and a political Guard port and waterway security operations, town councils and places where, before vacuum that will be filled by mur- $2.6 billion to screen airline passenger bag- our commitment to liberation, they derers and anarchists who most as- gage, $13.2 million for rail security inspectors dared not even look a man in the face. suredly are not committed to the rule and explosive detection canines, and $458 They have been liberated. We are their of law. million for biological, chemical, and explosives liberators. We can and should be proud. What is worse, the war will continue, countermeasures to protect the Nation’s crit- Yes, more needs to be done, but in not only in a destabilized Middle East, ical infrastructure. lands where women were treated worse but elsewhere and in places we would Of course, in addition to securing our trans- than cattle, a revolution is occurring, a rather not fight. Our friends and allies portation modalities, we have also taken steps revolution of respect, a liberation of will be at greatest risk and more ex- to make sure that terrorists in the Global War lives. Our actions have made the lives posed than is currently the case. on Terror are not able to access what they of millions of women not just better on To be sure, mistakes have been made clearly would most like to get their hands on— the margins but have actually giving in Iraq, from pre-war intelligence to nuclear materials. The SAFE Port Act codifies them hope, endowed them with free- de-Ba’athification to the destructive in law the establishment of the Domestic Nu- dom, and dared them to dream. events of Abu Ghraib, but these mis- clear Detection Office, DNDO. Earlier this year We have much to be proud of. I am takes should not stop us from our goal: I had the opportunity to visit the DNDO facility proud of our men and women in uni- the establishment of a stable, rep- in Nevada, and I am firmly convinced of the form who stand in harm’s way. I am resentative, national unity government importance of maintaining the vitality of this or- proud that this great country stands that can manage the security situation ganization. The DNDO has one of the most for good and opposes evil. I am proud much better itself and that lives in important missions within the DHS—the detec- that this Congress and this President peace with its neighbors. tion and identification of nuclear materials. understand that freedom is God’s gift Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to During my visit, I observed first-hand the test- to all mankind and that evil tolerated submit additional remarks for the ing of nuclear and radiological counter- is evil assisted. RECORD detailing the efforts of the measures, including detection devices de- Mr. MURTHA. I yield 1 minute to the House Homeland Security Committee’s signed to identify vehicles transporting nuclear distinguished Democratic leader, the contributions in fighting this global explosive devices, fissile material, and radio- gentlewoman from California (Ms. war on terror. logical material intended for illicit use. The PELOSI), who, on her first trip overseas The Global War on Terror is, by virtue of its SAFE Port Act further requires the DNDO to went with me to Iraq to talk to the title, a war with world-wide scope. As a mem- conduct testing of next-generation nuclear and troops and tell them how much she ber of the Homeland Security Committee, I am radiological detection equipment and to put supported the troops. particularly concerned about the way in which forth a timeline for completing installation of Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, at the this war can impact our way of life here, in such equipment at all U.S. seaports. opening of the debate, Mr. SKELTON

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11582 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 asked the House to observe a moment ‘‘The U.S. aid process has failed. It has stop digging the hole he is digging in of silence for the 2,500 troops that we wasted at least half of the $22 billion in Iraq and come out and see the light of have lost in the war in Iraq. The num- U.S. funds and much of the $34.6 billion day as to what is the right direction. ber is a staggering one, but we warned in Iraq funds it attempted to use to se- Across the country, Americans have them one person at a time. I hope their cure and develop Iraq’s economy.’’ had free and open debate about this families live with great pride. I know I repeat: defense and intelligence ex- war. But when the time came to debate they will live with great sorrow. pert Anthony Cordesman recently Iraq in this Congress, Republicans shut My uncle was killed at the Battle of wrote: ‘‘The U.S. aid process has failed. down debate with a closed rule. This is the Bulge, and for my father’s entire It has wasted at least half of the $22 not only an affront to the Democrats; life it was as if it had happened yester- billion in U.S. funds and much of the it is an affront to the American people. day. As if it had happened yesterday. $34.6 billion in Iraq funds in an attempt Closed rule. Limited debate. Twice as We know that experience has been re- to secure and develop Iraq’s economy.’’ many people on our side of the aisle peated over and over again across our This is outrageous. Where is the ac- would like to have spoken, but there country. countability? wasn’t enough time. There wasn’t In remembering those who died, and In fact, Mr. Cordesman concludes enough time to give Members of Con- their families who mourn them, let us that the U.S.-managed Iraq reconstruc- gress the opportunity to give voice to also salute all of our men and women tion efforts have been as failed as the the concerns of their constituents in uniform who are doing their jobs U.S. response to Hurricane Katrina. about a matter as important as sending with great courage, with great patriot- The Bush Iraq policy has diverted re- and keeping our troops at war. ism and dedication, and their families sources and attention from what What a sad commentary on our de- who are making enormous sacrifices; should be the focus of our effort mocracy. We supposedly are going to 2,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, more than against terrorism in places like Af- Iraq to promote democracy, yet we half of them permanently, straining ghanistan. The lack of stability and don’t even have it on the floor of the our military readiness and eroding our the deteriorating security situation in House of Representatives. What is sad reputation in the world. Afghanistan is a casualty of the war in about that is that we owe so much bet- The President of the United States Iraq. The war has not made our coun- ter, so much more to the American says, stay the course. Stay the course? try safer. It has not made our military people, particularly to the brave men I don’t think so, Mr. President. It is stronger. It has caused great damage to and women we have sent to fight in time to face the facts. our reputation in the world, and it has Iraq. On every important aspect in the hindered the fight against terrorism. Democrats are calling for a new di- Iraq war, President Bush and his advi- In face of all of this incompetence rection in Iraq. Our new direction sors have been wrong: Wrong on the and the cost of the war, I repeat, the would say to the Iraqi people that we reason to go to war, wrong on the re- President urges us to ‘‘stay the will not be in your country indefi- ception our troops would receive, course.’’ Stay the course, Mr. Presi- nitely, we will not construct perma- wrong on the rapidity with which the dent, is not a strategy. It is a slogan. nent bases, and we will not control the Iraqi economy would be able to pay for I will vote against this resolution be- flow of your oil. We will work with you the war and reconstruction, and wrong cause it is an affirmation of the Presi- and your neighbors diplomatically to on the willingness of the international dent’s failed policy in Iraq, and in community to join in efforts to sta- ensure that the reconstruction of Iraq doing so I will be pleased to join Mr. bilize Iraq. is successful. We will do as Mr. MURTHA But don’t take my word for it. This MURTHA and Mr. SKELTON. And I would advocates. We will redeploy and be gross incompetence has driven some of like to at this moment salute them for ready. our fighting generals to level dev- their patriotism and their dedication Republicans in Congress continue to astating public criticism. MG John Ba- to our country. They are second to try to mislead the American people by tiste, who led the 1st Infantry Division none, as Mr. SKELTON said in his re- suggesting a link between the war in in Iraq, has said: ‘‘My own decision to marks. They are second to none in this Iraq and the war on terror. They are speak out goes back to watching first- Congress and in this country in looking distinct, as Mr. SKELTON has repeat- hand the arrogant and contemptuous out for the troops and being concerned edly and eloquently stated. They are attitude of Rumsfeld as he ignored the and knowledgeable about troop readi- distinct. And efforts to portray one as advice of military experts during prep- ness, about the strains on our military part of the other are a disservice to the arations for war, and then living with this war is putting on them and in de- truth and to the men and women sent the impact of those strategic blunders terring our ability to respond to other to fight in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and as a division commander in Iraq. Sec- threats. Ramadi. The huge cost of the Iraq war retary Rumsfeld and his team turned I salute them for their leadership in lost lives, life-altering wounds sus- what should have been a deliberate vic- and, in fact, their courage. Because tained, and billions of dollars spent de- tory in Iraq into a prolonged chal- here we have the Republicans putting mand better of us. lenge.’’ on the floor a vacuous resolution, a The defense authorization bill, as was That is why over 2 years ago I asked challenge that if you say that you sup- quoted again by Mr. SKELTON, enacted for the resignation of Secretary Rums- port the troops, you have to vote for last year, declares 2006 to be a year of feld, and I do so again today. No one this. That day is over. That day is over. significant transition to full Iraqi sov- has been held accountable for all of The credentials on real security for our ereignty, creating the conditions of the these mistakes in Iraq. country, be it homeland security, be it phased redeployment of United States The incompetence comes at a great willing to project military might to forces from Iraq. That is in the 2006 cost. The Bush administration is so ob- protect America’s interests at home DOD authorization bill: the phased re- sessed with the effort to paint an opti- and abroad, we all share a that. So deployment of United States forces mistic picture of the situation in Iraq don’t put something on the table that from Iraq. That is the law of the land. that it refuses to face the facts. The says you either vote for this if you sup- You all voted to support it. facts are these: more than 2,500 Amer- port the troops or you don’t. We are halfway through 2006, signifi- ican troops have been killed. Again, This resolution is one thing and one cant transition has not occurred, and more than 18,000 have been injured, thing only: It is an affirmation of the only redeployment has been of U.S. half of them permanently. And as the President Bush’s failed Iraq policy. The forces into Iraq, not out. The war in war costs have grown to over $400 bil- American people know the policy has Iraq has been a mistake. I say a gro- lion, key construction projects remain failed. The American people know that. tesque mistake. It must be our resolve unfinished. Hopefully, it will dawn on the Presi- to end the war as soon as possible and As defense and intelligence expert dent, and he, instead of stay the to resolve to not make similar mis- Anthony Cordesman recently wrote: course, will change the course. He will takes in the future. We owe it to the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11583 American people. We owe it to the urgency. We are in a war that we have ess even in the debate over a nonbinding res- young men and women that we send in to win, but we cannot plod along in- olution. to fight the fight. definitely. Throughout this conflict we have heard of Again, Democrats take our responsi- Our Founding Fathers had 13 years shortages of supplies from armor to protect bility to provide for the common de- between the beginning of the American the lives of our soldiers to reliable intelligence fense very seriously. We are proud to Revolution, the ratification of the Con- to guide their mission. Surely the most dev- have leaders like Mr. MURTHA and Mr. stitution, and the inauguration of astating shortage has been the lack of leader- SKELTON to lead that charge for us. George Washington. We don’t have that ship in this conflict. The President has failed, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- luxury in Iraq. Our troops are giving since the beginning, to chart a course for vic- fornia. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege their lives in Iraq. Our country is tory, to correct mistakes as they have arisen to yield a real 3 minutes to the distin- spending hundreds of billions of dol- and to secure that the ideals for which the guished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. lars. We can’t pull the rug out from the American forces are fighting are never com- TOM DAVIS), the chairman of the Gov- under the Iraqis, but we can’t babysit promised. ernment Reform Committee. the situation either. We don’t have I rise in honor of the sacrifice that far too Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. time to waste on activities that are in- many men and women have been called to Speaker, I rise in support of the resolu- effective. We don’t have money to make and in the hope that this conflict will find tion before us today. I would like to waste on bad equipment and services. a new direction, one which will support Amer- first offer my gratitude to those brave Some have charged that this Con- ican victory, security and justice. I look forward men and women who are fighting or gress has been asleep at the wheel and to working with my colleagues on both sides have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. has done no oversight. That’s not true. of the aisle to chart a better course and plan We owe you a debt which we can never I have. Our committee has held four a better future for the people of America and repay. hearings on contracting practices in the people of Iraq. Since the United States invaded Iraq, Iraq, including a day for whistle- Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to I have seen this as a high-stakes gam- blowers at Halliburton, and I intend to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. KIL- bit. If we were successful in not only hold more. DEE) for the purpose of a unanimous defeating the Iraqi Army, but in the Our subcommittees, particularly the consent request. more difficult task of establishing a one chaired by Mr. SHAYS, have held Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in democratic government, we would be dozens of others. What we have found is opposition to the resolution. far down the road to affecting a para- a lot of mistakes in management and Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear on the digm shift in the Middle East, one oversight. But remember, this is the points we can agree. which would replace potentates, dic- first time we have contracted this ex- Every Member of this House was horrified tators, and repression with representa- tensively in a combat situation. Every- by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. tive governments, transparency, and thing about doing business, everything Every Member of this House believes we opportunities for both men and women. in a war zone is difficult and costly, must do what is necessary to defend our If we were to fail, the cost would be and it is disingenuous to deny this. country and our people from future attacks incalculable. It would be a reaffirma- If we are going to see this mission and to eliminate the threat of terrorism. tion for many in the world that the through successfully, there must con- And every Member of this House supports United States lacked the fortitude to tinue to be vigorous, comprehensive, our troops and their families, and we com- see a mission through to its comple- constant oversight to ensure we stay mend them for their honorable service under tion. It would embolden terrorists the on the right path. We should do every- very difficult and stressful circumstances. But today, Mr. Speaker, this House debates world over; threaten those states in the thing we can to hasten the day when the ongoing war in Iraq, not the struggle Middle East, such as Jordan and Israel, Iraq is able to handle its own affairs. against terrorism. that are friends of the United States. Our role in Congress is to conduct the oversight that the people expect of us. I voted no when the House considered the 1000 b Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressional Resolution authorizing the Regardless, the situation in Iraq is the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. President to Invade Iraq. At that time, I had several crucial questions what it is. There is no question Iraq is FATTAH) for a unanimous consent re- a petri dish for terrorists now. Our quest. that needed clear answers: main nemesis in Iraq is called ‘‘al Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in 1. What is the nature and the urgency of the Qaeda in Iraq.’’ Thus, our activities in opposition to this resolution. Iraqi threat to the United States? 2. What is the mission of our troops? both Iraq and Afghanistan are now Mr. Speaker, I rise again today in opposition 3. How much international support will we clearly linked to a global war on ter- to the war in Iraq, a position I have consist- have? ror. There is no other way to view the ently held since the President first undertook 4. Will this military operation in Iraq increase situation. this misguided policy at the expense of our terrorism or decrease terrorism? I am eager to build on the recent suc- nation’s men and women in uniform and our 5. What is the exit strategy to withdraw our cesses in Iraq. I truly hope that we domestic priorities. While I found myself in a troops from Iraq? have turned a corner with the death of relative minority at the time I first voted in op- Despite my questions on the rationale for Zarqawi and the forming of the govern- position, I find myself now situated amongst a the war, I have consistently supported the ment. If voter turnout is any indica- majority of the American people in addition to funding for our troops. tion, the Iraqi people are eager for de- some of the most knowledgeable and com- They deserve our full support, and they de- mocracy. They had a higher voter turn- mitted patriots this country has ever known. serve to have everything necessary for their out in Iraq than we did in Virginia for I am today opposed to H. Res. 861 and re- mission. our gubernatorial race. But make no main committed to a better course, one that is And as the father of two sons who have mistake, what we are trying to do in in the interest of American foreign policy, served in the military, I would want no less. Iraq has been and will continue to be America’s fighting men and women, America’s Mr. Speaker, we now know that Saddam extraordinarily difficult. Even with future security and American victory. The Res- Hussein did not have weapons of mass de- Zarqawi gone, there are many dan- olution, which has been discussed, is flawed, struction. gerous people who will stop at nothing not only in substance, but in process. The de- President Bush has publicly acknowledged to stop us. cision to enter into and remain involved in for- that there was no link or connection between I don’t support a public date of cer- eign conflict is one of the most serious re- Saddam Hussein and the terrorist attacks on tain withdrawal from Iraq. Doing so sponsibilities the Framers of the Constitution 9/11. creates an untenable situation for our granted to the Congress at the drafting in The mission of our troops seems to change forces and our Iraqi allies and presents Philadelphia. The Republican leaders in this and expand daily. a real gift of predictability to the Congress have shirked their oversight respon- As for international support, the American enemy. But there has to be a sense of sibilities and have denied a democratic proc- taxpayer has foot the vast majority of the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11584 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 costs to the tune of hundreds of billions of dol- Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. None lution to re-write history and re-cast the war on lars. were ever found. Iraq as having positive implications in the war And American fighting men and women, and President Bush and Vice President CHENEY on terrorism. their families, have borne the vast majority of repeatedly implied that Iraq was involved in Exactly the opposite is true. the deaths and injuries to coalition troops, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center After 9/11, in part because so many nations over 2,500 killed and 18,000 wounded. and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. lost citizens in the World Trade Center, Amer- Moreover, many of the original members of The preponderance of intelligence before the ica enjoyed virtually total global support and our coalition have withdrawn or are with- attack on Iraq contradicted that and no such willingness to collaboratively destroy the Bin drawing their troops from Iraq, leaving the evidence has been found. Laden Al Qaeda network. The opportunity was U.S. to shoulder the burden almost alone. The conduct of President Bush’s war of there to work carefully with the entire world, Are we safer today than we were before the choice has been plagued with incompetent ci- including almost all Muslim nations, to make invasion of Iraq? vilian leadership decisions that have cost Americans and the whole world safer by iso- According to U.S. State Department data, many lives and rendered the war on and occu- lating and shutting down Al Qaeda. there were 175 international terrorist attacks in pation of Iraq a strategic policy disaster for the Did we complete that mission? No; Bin 2003, and that was a 20-year high. United States. The incompetence and corrup- Laden is still at large and the conditions in Af- In 2004, the number jumped three-fold to tion involved in the reconstruction have ren- 650 attacks. ghanistan are deteriorating. Instead, President dered that expensive effort largely ineffective. Bush started a second war unrelated to 9/11 In 2005, 11,111 terror attacks were reported The most critical, much-cited incompetent by the state department. and the hunt for Bin Laden’s networks and his decision on the part of the Bush administration followers. Finally, the Bush Administration does not was to commit far too small a force for the now nor ever has had a viable exit strategy for We’ve now spent well over $350 billion on huge, dangerous and multifaceted tasks at an effort that has not achieved its own goals our troops in Iraq. hand. Because of that egregious blunder in Saying, ‘‘we will stand down as the Iraqis and, due to its astronomical cost and resource judgment and planning by the Bush adminis- drain, has severely undercut our ability to pur- stand up’’ puts the fate and future of American tration, our severely overextended troops took troops completely at the mercy of the com- sue and destroy Bin Laden’s international ter- many more casualties than necessary, and rorist network with its many cells that existed petence of the Iraqi government and its secu- they could not: rity forces. in 2002, continue to exist today and certainly Stop the looting of the treasures of Iraq’s will exist into the future. I agree with the resolution before us, we ancient culture and the public institutions of Twenty-five hundred fine young American should not set an ‘‘arbitrary’’ date for with- present day Iraq—its schools, universities and men and women have lost their lives, 95 per- drawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. hospitals; But we should set intelligent, well-thought Seize control of Saddam’s huge conven- cent of whom have been killed since President out benchmarks that make the most sense for tional weapons depots which have been used Bush declared ‘‘Mission Accomplished’’ more American national interests. to kill our service men and women throughout than 3 years ago. Setting reasonable benchmarks for the de- the insurgency; America has also forever lost the service of parture of our troops would send several im- Control the borders against the influx into thousands of good soldiers who are now dis- portant messages. Iraq of senior terrorists from Bin Laden’s inter- abled as a result of battle wounds in Iraq. To the Iraqi national government—get your national network who wanted to be part of kill- Many others will need mental and emotional house in order now! rehabilitation before they can return to normal To the Iraqi Sunnis opposing our occupation ing Americans; Provide the Iraqi civilian population security life. The multiple re-deployments of Guard and now is the time to cut your best deal with the Reserve troops have severely undercut the re- Shiite and Kurdish factions while the U.S. is from the Sunni-Baathist insurgency as it grew in strength; and tention and recruitment prospects for the fight- still able to act as an honest broker. ing force we depend upon to protect us. To our American military leaders—here is a Hold the ground fought over with insurgents in search and destroy missions which left President Bush and his administration have date to which you can plan, knowing when the defended torture and rendition and ignored the rebuilding of our military capabilities can whole cities in ruins and whatever remained of the civilian population a fertile recruiting Geneva Conventions. America has lost the begin. moral high ground with the rest of the world, To the American people we have done what ground for more insurgents. The incompetence regarding body and vehi- and we have fewer allies as a result. Presi- we could. dent Bush and his administration have under- From this point on, it is now up to the Iraqi cle armor rises almost to a level of criminal mined the war on terror by using tactics out- people to find their way, with the support of negligence. lawed by international treaty and condemned the international community. The military’s own report says that one-third by even our closest friends. And finally, to the terrorists the Iraqi people of deaths and casualties could have been will deal with you now if you remain in Iraq. avoided if proper body armor and vehicle And, finally, President Bush’s war on Iraq For all the other terrorists outside of Iraq, armor had been provided from the start of the has provided Al Qaeda a training and the United States can now shift the full force war. Our soldiers’ civilian leaders did not fol- recruitdlent ground that it could not have of its military, diplomatic, law enforcement, low a first maxim of war: protect your troops. hoped for in its wildest dreams, as well as a and economic resources to the single task of American service men and women deserved golden opportunity to target Americans right in hunting you down and bringing you to justice. better, and the civilian leaders who failed them the unprotected center of the Middle East. Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to should be held accountable. President Bush’s war on Iraq is viewed broad- the gentleman from Massachusetts But instead of honoring our soldiers now ly in Islamic communities as an attack on (Mr. OLVER) for the purpose of a unani- with an honest debate about the war, its con- Islam, and thus the President has alienated a mous consent request. duct and its prospects, we are presented large part of one fifth of the world’s population. Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in today with a thick coating of whitewash. This The most extreme individuals and factions in opposition to the resolution before us. resolution is dishonest on its very face. Islamic countries are now more motivated than Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 861 is a whitewash Even though there was no connection be- ever to kill Americans, and the number of po- justification of every erroneous action of the tween Afghanistan and Iraq, H. Res. 861 tential terrorists has greatly expanded. Bush-Cheney administration in their war of seeks desperately to make that false connec- So a truthful assessment of how America is choice on Iraq. tion. It seeks to transform the bad decision to doing in the war on terror as a result of Presi- It’s no surprise that Bush, CHENEY and wage war on Iraq as a valid component of the dent Bush’s war on Iraq is that we have been Rumsfeld seek this late coating of whitewash global war on terror. It seeks to cast the set back by decades. Bad decisions and in- that this resolution attempts to provide. The missteps and incompetence in Iraq as competence have achieved a vast determina- war on Iraq was unjustified, has been egre- progress in the global war on terror. Even tion in countless desperate, impoverished, dis- giously mismanaged, and has made all Ameri- though there was never any philosophical or affected and oppressed young Muslim men cans less safe. operational connection between Saddam Hus- and women to take out their anger and ex- Americans were told repeatedly by Presi- sein and Al Qaeda, the President and his Re- press their fundamentalism and radicalism by dent Bush and Vice President CHENEY that publican allies in Congress seek by this reso- attacking Americans and American interests.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11585 We are far less safe as a nation and will re- the course. It is a matter of change di- Having said that, I am deeply disappointed main so throughout our lifetimes and our chil- rection. in this resolution because I believe we owe dren’s lifetimes. I said a little earlier, Ronald Reagan Americans more than a simple declaration of Clearly, a stable, unified and democratic understood when it was time to change our resolve in Iraq. We owe them an account Iraq cannot be achieved militarily by the U.S. direction. He did one of the biggest tax of our progress in the Global War on Terror; Our servicemen and women have done the cuts in history. He turned around a lit- an assessment of the situation, the stakes, best job that can be done in the situation into tle bit later and adjusted that. This and the strategy for victory in the battle for which their civilian leaders have placed them, didn’t call it a tax increase, it was an Iraq; and an affirmation we will defend our and they deserve the highest level of gratitude adjustment. country, defeat the enemy, and win this un- from all Americans. They have already taken In Beirut he decided we have to make sought struggle for survival. too many casualties—too many dead, too a change, it won’t work. In Somalia, There are several points in this resolution many wounded—because they were too few President Clinton did the same thing. that I am concerned about. It also strikes me and too poorly provided with the armor they And over that mistake, and it was a as merely a reiteration of the resolution we needed to succeed safely. substantial mistake, the Secretary of passed last December. If a unified and stable Iraq is to emerge out Defense resigned because he had lost First, I am disappointed in the choice of the of the ethnic and sectarian violence that is so the confidence of the military in the word adversary in this resolution. History and perilously close to civil war, the Iraqi people way he handled the situation in Soma- reality illustrate that within Iraq and the broad- and their government must make the political lia. We changed direction there. We er Global War on Terror we do not face an ad- compromises necessary to secure a success- went in the wrong direction. We went versary—we face a very real and dangerous ful democracy. They must find in themselves after a tribal leader named Aideed. enemy. We should not be afraid to clearly a new nation. We cannot do that for them; we In Iraq, unfortunately, the way we state what we as a nation are up against. operate as a military, and there is no can only give them the opportunity to do it. Secondly, philosophically, any state-sponsor Nor should we accept the President’s one who understands better than the of terror is a threat to the United States, be- mantra, ‘‘When the Iraqis stand up, we will gentleman with the 173rd in California, cause terrorism is an attack upon the self-evi- understands what the military does stand down.’’ A nice slogan, but that is simply dent, inalienable human rights to life, liberty when it goes into a place. You have to a recipe for an unlimited occupation. and the pursuit of happiness. This point We need to make it clear that we will with- use overwhelming force. I promote should be clearly expressed in a resolution of that. I am in favor of that. I do every- draw from Iraq within 6 to 9 months—so that this nature. thing I can to make sure that the mili- Additionally, the second clause states ‘‘. . . the Iraqis will know that they must stand up tary has what they need to prevail and for the past two decades, terrorists have used and defend the opportunity given to them. protect American lives. violence in a futile attempt to intimidate the We should immediately state that we will But when you do that, you inadvert- United States.’’ This clause is too sanitized. seek no permanent military bases in Iraq. In ently kill people and you make en- The hard truth is the enemy has not tried to the remaining months, we should focus on emies. Abu Ghraib was another exam- intimidate us. The enemy has tried to kill us achieving more robust international involve- ple of the enemies that we made, and and often succeeded. The enemy does so be- ment in training of Iraqi soldiers, police offi- the public relations battle has been cause our very existence as sovereign citizens cers, judges, teachers, and doctors—all key lost worldwide. People have discredited of a free Republic constitutes a beacon of elements needed to end the sectarian and civil the United States and have little con- hope for all who are—and all who yearn to conflict and build Iraq’s future. And we should fidence in our ability. be—free; thus, we are our enemy’s paramount prepare for the safe and orderly withdrawal of Somebody brought up Spain yester- obstacle to world dominion. our troops. day. They said ask Spain about ter- I know first hand the difficulties we face in The Bush administration has made many rorism. Well, 56 percent of the people in Iraq. I have heard it directly from the men and grievous and costly errors in Iraq over the past Spain think the United States is more women that are fighting so hard in Afghanistan 1 3 ⁄2 years and made little, if any, progress in of a threat in Iraq than Iran is in the and Iraq. the war on terrorism thereby. It is time to bring world. So we have got a lot of things I do hope that despite my concerns that this our young people home. we can talk about as rhetoric. The debate provides a clearer understanding of the Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield facts are the situation is not getting threats we really face and the opportunity to myself such time as I may consume to better. We have 130,000 troops on the develop a strategy that protects our troops make a couple of the comments, and ground and only Iraqis can handle this. and enables our military to develop a com- then I will reserve my time. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of prehensive strategy to win this war, transfer The gentleman just before I spoke my time. the power to the Iraqi people and bring them talked about how long it took America Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- home. It should also demonstrate that the ‘‘cut to get its independence. Actually, it is fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gen- and run’’ agenda of my colleagues on the more than just 6 or 7 years, it went on tleman from New York (Mr. SWEENEY) other side of the aisle is the wrong approach through the Civil War, but they were for a unanimous consent request. to this problem and encourages the terrorists all Americans. It was not an occupying Mr. SWEENEY. I thank the gen- to wait us out and undo all that our soldiers force that was trying to force democ- tleman. have worked through blood, sweat, tears and racy on the United States. Can you Mr. Speaker, after 9/11, our nation united their lives to establish—a victory for our nation imagine what we would have done if we against terrorism and those who want to kill in- and a stable and secure democracy in the had an occupying force here trying to nocent civilians and destroy our American way Middle East. force democracy on the United States? of life. New York was impacted deeply by Lastly, and most importantly, I will continue It would not have worked. But of these tragic events and we understand first- to stand by and support U.S. troops. I must course they were not democracies in hand the kind of unthinkable damage that can take this opportunity to pay a personal tribute most cases anyway. be inflicted by hate-filled violent extremists. to the brave lives that have been claimed from So I just want to point out that in I voted to support the use of force in Iraq for my district: Nathan Brown, Stephen Madison, Iraq we have become the occupiers, and many reasons. Decades of deception and vio- Kevin Kimberly, Isaac Nieves, and Joseph 47 percent of the people in Iraq, and lation of United Nations resolutions; invading Robsky. Their sacrifice, and the sacrifice of this is a poll only 3 months old, says it neighboring countries; and a litany of ruthless their families and loved ones embody the spirit is okay to kill Americans. One of the atrocities by Saddam Hussein involving mur- of our great nation and principles of democ- officials in the Iraqi government of- dering his own people. racy we hold dear. fered amnesty. I believe that the best way to safeguard Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- Since I spoke out on November 17, freedom in our nation increasingly depends on fornia. I yield to the gentleman from things have gotten worse. We have supporting a democratic global strategy in Ohio (Mr. GILLMOR) for a unanimous 130,000 troops in Iraq. Every day it gets areas beyond our borders. That is why sup- consent. worse. From May to May, it gets worse porting the creation of a self-governing Iraq is Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in and worse. It is not a matter of stay so critical to the future of both our countries. support of the resolution.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11586 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support course in Iraq and standing strong is evident There are 263,400 forces assigned to the for the efforts of our brave men and women in with every success. Ministry of Defense and they are capable of uniform fighting to protect our Nation in the Steadfast determination in Iraq is key to the conducting over 86 percent of the planned op- global war on terror. Today, some people are security of the United States and the global erations. It is projected by the end of this year, trying to make this debate about politics or an- community. I strongly support the United the Iraqi Security Forces will have responsi- other opportunity to convince some of our na- States’ continued military involvement in the bility and capability to fulfill a 100 percent of tional media that our efforts in Iraq have not Global War on Terror. The importance of such operations. been successful, these people are wrong in keeping our country safe by standing up for Mr. Speaker, our goal of defeating terrorists, their facts and their intent. democracy and freedom is our number one establishing a free and independent Iraq is ob- I recently led a delegation of members to priority. tainable if we continue to pursue our current Vietnam, India, Singapore and Thailand. After I had the opportunity to visit with our troops course. meeting with three prime ministers and their in Iraq and felt so proud. Their determination Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- parliamentary leaders, I am ever more con- to bring peace and hope to the Middle East fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes vinced of the need to stay the course in Iraq and end the terrorist threat to the U.S. was to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. HEN- and Afghanistan. One common theme came humbling and inspiring. Nothing demonstrates SARLING), who sits on the Budget Com- from each of my meetings—the United States our military families’ commitment more than mittee and the Financial Services must win. It is a simple theme and a powerful the family of Corporal Michael Anderson Jr. Committee. one. We cannot leave Iraq before the job is who lost his life in Iraq. They came to Wash- Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I done. If the terrorists who have invaded Iraq ington, from Modesto, California, recently to have listened to this debate very care- can prove to the world that they are able to honor is life. It was a privilege to meet such fully for the last day. There are clearly overcome the will of the American people and an inspiring family, who, in the face of tragedy, those who want to debate whether we force our early withdrawal, they can do that to demonstrated unwavering patriotism. should have gone into Iraq. That point any nation. Our courageous soldiers, who are fighting is moot. Mr. Speaker, we are the world’s last remain- for freedom and our way of life, deserve the There are some who want to debate ing superpower. We are the leader of democ- full support of the American people. We owe immediate withdrawal regardless of racy and the pinnacle of freedom. If bands of it to those who have given their lives, to stay the consequences. That is dangerous. murderous terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and complete this mission. Some just want to criticize the ad- Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to sup- can convince this body to abandon our mis- ministration yet offer no plan of their port the resolution declaring the United States sion, they will have won. And they will not stop own. That is political posturing. will prevail in the Global War on Terror. Finally, there are some who want to at simply expelling America from Iraq. They Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- debate that victory is not only possible will work to destroy the western world, our val- fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gen- in Iraq, it is essential to our security. ues and our freedoms. tleman from Georgia (Mr. KINGSTON) Our mission in Iraq has changed. Our forces for a unanimous consent request. Count me among their numbers. easily defeated and captured Saddam Hussein Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise Like many Members of this body, I and his henchmen. Now, our mission is to fin- in support of the resolution. have been to Iraq to visit with our ish the job by building up Iraqi security forces Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of troops. Those whom I have spoken to, and the Iraqi Government so that they can de- House Resolution 861, declaring that the they believe we are winning. And they fend and govern themselves. I believe Presi- United States will prevail in the Global War on also believe it is essential, like one sol- dent Bush when he says, ‘‘as Iraqis stand up, Terror. dier told me, Congressman, I hate we will stand down.’’ We have made great strides in the War on being here, but I know how important Today the Iraqi forces have gained great Terror. The men and women of our Armed it is to my family and how important strength. There are now more than twice as Forces along with coalition partners deserve it is to my country that we succeed. many members of the Iraqi Security Forces as our continued support. They have displayed Mr. Speaker, I know that the Amer- there are U.S. forces serving in Iraq. Iraqi nothing short of true dedication and continued ican people are anxious, and I know forces are now a part of more than 90 percent professionalism in carrying out their mission. that many days progress comes three of all operations in Iraq. With the complete for- It is with high esteem that I rise to say we steps forward and two steps backwards. mation of the presidential cabinet, three free are winning the Global War on Terrorism. This And unfortunately, the national media elections and the elimination of al-Qa’ida lead- is highlighted by the capture of Osama bin tends to only portray the two steps ers in Iraq, the global war on terror is indeed Laden’s Prince of Iraq, al-Zarqawi. This is truly backwards. progressing and advancing freedom and de- a milestone and has resulted in hundreds of Mr. Speaker, Saddam Hussein has mocracy across the world. raids which continue to provide an enormous been captured. He has been defeated. Mr. Speaker, our debate today is a useful amount of new intelligence to our com- Last week al Zarqawi, the number one one. It is an opportunity to say to the world manders in the field. As political polls show, a terrorist in the region, has been elimi- that we stand behind our troops 100 percent. majority of Iraqis wants the violence to end, nated. A quarter million of the Iraqi This debate shows that we support the mis- and that Sunnis, Shiites, and other tribes were troops have been trained, equipped, and sion of our American patriots. Today, the coming together to help make that happen. As on patrol. After years of halting should pass this reso- an example of progress on the ground, he progress, we now have a fully func- lution and demonstrate to the world, once said that the number of intelligence ‘‘tips’’ had tioning, democratically elected govern- again, our commitment to freedom and de- increased from 400 per month to 4,000 which ment in Iraq. This is important be- mocracy. makes the capture of terrorists like al-Zarqawi cause we are not threatened by democ- Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- possible. racies. We are threatened by despotic fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gen- The newly elected prime minister, Nuri al- regimes and terrorist ideologies. tleman from California (Mr. RADANO- Maliki, the first constitutional prime minister of But the news stories that are most VICH) for a unanimous consent request. Iraq since the revolutionaries toppled the Iraqi important about why we are there are Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I monarchy and murdered the royal family in never written. I come from Dallas, rise in support of the resolution. 1958, has been successful in establishing a Texas. I have never read the story that Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity diverse government; one that has dem- today no suicide bomber exploded in to discuss the Global War on Terror in Iraq onstrated a willingness to work together. This North Park Mall. I have never read the and Afghanistan. With the events of the past cooperation has transcended to the general story that today no car bomb went off few weeks, including the completion of a population. A new Iraqi society, one that seeks in Poteet High School, and I know I democratically elected government and the to live in harmony with each other and believe have never read the story that today elimination of al-Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab al- the government can improve the situation in JEB and Melissa HENSARLING put their Zarqawi, we have seen the development of Iraq, is a society that is much safer because 4-year old and 2-year old to bed in a democracies and another strong blow against the Iraqi Security Forces now conducted over safer, more secure Dallas, Texas, terrorism. The importance of staying the 32,000 patrols during the month of April. U.S.A.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11587 Victory is costly. Defeat is even more icy of waving the white flag to our en- are doing the fighting, not the Mem- costly. emies. It is a policy, make no mistake bers of Congress that are doing the Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 about it, that the left in this country fighting. minutes to the gentleman from Vir- are advocating. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of ginia (Mr. MORAN). But we are fighting a war. We are my time. Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speak- fighting a war against Islamic extrem- Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- er, I thank the gentleman from Penn- ists that hate the very fiber of our fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gen- sylvania for standing up for the last 10 being as Americans. They hate our tleman from Georgia (Mr. GINGREY) for hours in defense of our country and the freedoms and they hate the fact that a unanimous consent request. troops that serve us and, most impor- we embrace equality here in this coun- Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tantly, throughout his entire life, and I try, although imperfect. They hate the full support of H. Res. 861. thank him for demanding that the fact that we have religious freedom and Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support Iraqi people stand up for their own freedom of speech in this country. of this resolution, H. Res. 861, and to em- country and responding to the Amer- Make no mistake about it, these are phatically declare that we will prevail in the ican people who are demanding that important things to Americans, and War on Terror across the globe, and in Iraq. this Congress stand up for our Nation’s our enemy hates those important We’ve already amassed a long list of ac- interest. Staying the course in Iraq is things. complishments. Mr. Speaker, since being lib- not in our Nation’s interest. We are having a great debate here, 10 erated from the oppressive Taliban regime, Several times the proponents of this hours of debate here in this Congress native Afghans have returned to their home- resolution have cited Winston Church- on this war policy, and I am proud that land in droves, many of whom are highly edu- ill. Wonderful, lofty rhetoric, but the majority in this House will stand cated teachers, healthcare providers, and there’s a disconnect. Saddam Hussein to fight and win this war. It is not community leaders that were thrown out of the did not drop any bombs on the United about status quo, it is about victory. country by the Taliban. States. He was not involved in 9/11, Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield The Afghan economy continues to power didn’t harbor any terrorists who were. myself such time as I may consume. ahead and previously unheard-of opportunities It has been argued if we redeployed it Mr. Speaker, it is interesting to me, are opening up, particularly for Afghani might hurt our credibility around the we stand here and fight in the air-con- women. world. As has been said, our approval ditioned Chambers of the United States Regrettably, these accomplishments don’t ratings around the world are the lowest Congress where these fellows are walk- seem to generate much enthusiasm with the they have ever been. People rank us ing around in Iraq, men and women, mainstream media or our colleagues on the down with Russia in terms of trust and with 70 pounds every day facing IEDs, other side of the aisle. If you did nothing but respect. never knowing when they may go off listen to their negativity, you would not know It has been argued if we redeploy it with tremendous stress. They are being that more than 3,600 schools in Iraq have might encourage terrorists. Our con- deployed three and four times. It is been rehabilitated, or that 240 hospitals and tinued presence is the rallying cry in easy to stay in an air-conditioned of- 1,200 medical clinics have been reopened, nor the recruitment tool for terrorists fice and say I’m going to stay the that 13 power plants have been built, pro- around the world. It has been argued course. viding about 60 percent of Iraq’s power gen- that it might hurt American troops’ But let me tell you something, those eration, or that over 250,000 Iraqi security morale. Mr. Speaker, 2,500 brave men troops, I hope they believe in what forces have been trained, equipped, and are and women dead, 18,000 seriously they are doing. That’s what America is fighting on the front line against the insur- wounded and you want to stay the all about. But standing here and talk- gency! course? ing about policy and criticizing people Further, Mr. Speaker, without our policies It has been argued that there might just because they disagree with a pol- and efforts in carrying out the War on Terror, be a civil war if we redeploy. There is icy is absolutely absurd. All of us sup- Libya would not have given up their WMD pro- a civil war today. The fact is the Iraqis port the troops and want them to come grams, free elections would not have taken are going to have to seize control of home as soon as they can. place in Afghanistan and Iraq, a national unity their own country. We have to rede- What we need is a change in direction government would not be in place in Iraq, and ploy. We won’t leave the region, but we so we will be able to work this out. All Abu Musab al-Zarqawi would still be carrying will be there to fight off foreign terror- of us want stability in the Middle East. out terrorist operations. ists. But the Iraqis are going to have to That is what this whole thing is all Instead of heralding the unparalleled suc- determine their own future. about. We just disagree on how you do cesses of our troops and our policies in pros- That’s why this resolution is not in it. We disagree. Ever since the troops ecuting this war, my colleagues on the other America’s interest. Defeat this resolu- have been there, everything has gotten side of the aisle would have the American tion. Changing the course, having a de- worse. people believe we are losing. finable objective in Iraq is in America’s Perhaps Mr. Speaker, the hope of political interest. b 1015 gains has some of my colleagues seeking to Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- Electricity production is below pre- exploit the few missteps we have incurred fornia. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure war levels; water only 1 hour a day in while ignoring a much greater number of vic- to yield 11⁄4 minutes to the gentleman some parts. In Anbar Province no tories. from North Carolina (Mr. MCHENRY). water. 90 percent unemployment. Not Mr. Speaker, we cannot give in to the anti- Mr. MCHENRY. Mr. Speaker, resolve, one project in Anbar Province. So it is war rhetoric, which only serves to embolden untested, is only an idea. not a matter of whether it is good or our enemies while offering little hope and little Today we are fighting a war against not. It is a matter only that the Iraqi’s vision. It is always easier to pull back the Islamic extremists. Make no mistake should solve this thing. reigns and watch from the sidelines, but we in about it, this is a generational chal- And when I hear somebody standing America choose to be active in determining lenge. It was my grandparents’ genera- here sanctimoniously saying we are the course of history. Make no mistake, we tion that fought the Nazis. It was my going to fight this out, we are not are in a tough fight for the future of peace, parents’ generation that fought the fighting at all. It is the troops that are freedom, and democracy in the Middle East communists. It is our generation that doing the fighting, the families that and around the globe, but winning should be is fighting Islamic extremists wherever are doing the sacrificing, a very small our only option. they are. proportion of families in this country As we debate this resolution today, let us The left in this country have a policy are doing the sacrificing. And that is not forget that nearly everyone of my col- that they are advocating here today, why I get so upset when they stand leagues on the other side of the aisle when and they are advocating a policy called here sanctimoniously saying we are presented with the same pre-war intelligence cut and run. They are advocating a pol- fighting this thing. It is the troops that that President Bush had concluded with high

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They did not those who now want to claim the pre-war intel- of them would be this: I have heard it work against the Soviet Union, and ligence was in some way fabricated, both the said from your side of the aisle that we they will most certainly not work bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee in are attempting to force democracy on against terrorists right now plotting 2004 and bipartisan Robb-Silberman Com- this country, and it will never work. violence and bloodshed against our mittee in 2005 did not find any evidence to Look at the three elections they had, citizens. support that claim. It is shameful that ‘‘Monday the increasing participation. And, Our actions taken in Iraq and Af- Morning’’ critics who hate Secretary Rumsfeld frankly, contrast that with what oc- ghanistan are aimed unequivocally at and President Bush are now resorting to false curred just this last Tuesday in the crushing global terrorism. We must claims about pre-war intelligence Commonwealth of Virginia, where, for complete our mission. Given that Sadaam Hussein had used a primary to determine who the Demo- Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield weapons of mass destruction on neighboring cratic nominee is going to be for the myself such time as I may consume. countries in the past, along with his desire to Senate, 3 percent of the people showed I would just point out to the Speaker bring us harm, Republicans and Democrats up, 3 percent of the registered voters. that Franklin Roosevelt might have alike reached consensus that the potential for I would suggest if we were on this said that, but he waited till they at- him to either harm us directly with these floor talking about Iraq where only 3 tacked us at Pearl Harbor before he weapons, or indirectly by passing them on to percent supported, people would say de- took any action. He tried to build up terrorists, was too great a risk to take. The ter- mocracy is a failure. I am not willing the forces, but certainly didn’t take rible human rights atrocities committed by to give up on the Commonwealth of any military action until we were at- Sadaam and his blatant disregard for repeated Virginia. I hope we are not willing to tacked at Pearl Harbor. U.N. resolutions were further compelling give up on Iraq. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of Secondly, the question about Viet- grounds for our bi-partisan actions. my time. nam. And I have the greatest respect Mr. Speaker, none of these facts have Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the gentleman; he served there with changed. What has changed is the resolve of myself such time as I may consume. distinction, just as my father served in many on the other side of the aisle who in the Almost, in fact a little bit more than World War II with distinction. But I process of changing their footing on the war, 61 years ago, the 101st Airborne would suggest there are a number of have become more interested in playing poli- parachuted into Normandy. And a few differences between Vietnam and this tics than in defeating terrorism and defending miles away the Fourth Infantry Divi- experience. And one of the chief ones is freedom. When these Members of Congress sion was wading through bloody waters this: when we left Vietnam they did who are advocating a defeatist strategy, onto Utah Beach. And thousands of not follow us. If we leave Iraq, the ter- sometimes referred to as ‘‘cut and run’’, were miles away, the First Marine Division rorists would follow us. was culminating a series of island oper- presented with the opportunity in November Some would suggest that it is a 2005 to vote on withdrawing our forces from ations, including Guadalcanal, Pelalieu shame that we are fighting them there. and many others, very dangerous, very Iraq immediately, only 3 of those behind these I say it is wonderful that we are fight- calls stood by their words. bloody. We call them the Greatest Gen- ing them there rather than here. eration. And you know, today, the 101st Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield of Iraq made the following statements this past Airborne anchors the Sunni Triangle. myself as much time as I may use. The Fourth Infantry Division, includ- Friday: ‘‘We believe we will soon reach a tip- I didn’t mean to imply that the gen- ing many of the grandchildren of those ping point in our battle against the terrorists as tleman from California is sanctimo- great members of the Greatest Genera- Iraqi security services increase in size and ca- nious. It is just some of the speakers tion, are in Baghdad. And the First Ma- pacity, taking more and more responsibility have been sanctimonious. But that is rine Division is out in that very dan- away from the multinational forces. With our not the point. We want the same thing. gerous al Anbar Province in towns allies, we will also persevere to make Iraq a We want stability in the Middle East. called Ramadi and Fallujah. I call prosperous democracy in the heart of the Mid- It is important. We use more oil than them the New Greatest Generation. dle East.’’ any other country in the world, 20.6 But there is a difference between Mr. Speaker, it is easy to see great hope million barrels of oil a day. The closest them and their forefathers of the 101st and potential in the Iraqi government and the to us is China with 6 million barrels of and the Fourth Infantry Division and Iraqi people. However, ill conceived and short oil a day. The whole free world wants the First Marine Division, and that is sighted strategies threaten any chance of Iraq stability in the Middle East. It is how that the Greatest Generation of World becoming a bastion for democracy in the Mid- we get it. War II had a Congress that was united dle East. I sincerely hope the defeatist rhetoric What I am saying is there is more in- behind their mission. I think we owe it of the minority party will not dishearten the stability in Iraq because of us, because to this New Greatest Generation to brave men and women who are defending and of our troops. They have become occu- unite behind their mission, and not advancing freedom around the globe. piers. This is the thing that worries just because it is their mission and we Therefore Mr. Speaker, I urge all members me. That is why I think we have to are Congress and we oversee national to support this resolution. Let our brave men change direction. and women in uniform know that we will never I reserve the balance of my time. security, but because we gave them the break faith with them. Let the Iraqi people Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- mission. We voted overwhelmingly in know that their patriots have not died in vain. fornia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the bal- the House of Representatives to go into Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- ance of my time. Afghanistan and Iraq. We, not some- fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 11⁄2 Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 body else, we gave them the mission. minutes. seconds to the gentlewoman from Wyo- They have carried out that mission. Mr. Speaker, I have the greatest re- ming (Mrs. CUBIN). They have carried it out in thousands spect for the gentleman from Pennsyl- Mrs. CUBIN. Mr. Speaker, there is no of firefights at 10,000-foot elevations in vania. When I returned to this House greater obligation we have to the peo- Afghanistan, taking down safehouses after an absence of 16 years, he was one ple of this Nation than to protect their in Mosul and Tikrit and Fallujah and of the first people to greet me. I have freedom and their safety. We owe it to many other areas in Iraq, winning enormous respect for the work we did the public to pursue those who seek to 45,000 bronze stars for valor and meri- together with others here 25 years ago destroy our way of life. torious service, among many other in fighting common battles. Democrat wartime President Frank- medals; and you know, all the while I have a general disagreement with lin Roosevelt understood this when he taking on the enemy, they inoculated him on this approach. I don’t question said, ‘‘When you see a rattlesnake over 5 million children against dis- your patriotism. I certainly am at- poised to strike, you do not wait until eases, re-stood up over 3,000 schools, tempting not to be sanctimonious he has struck before you crush him.’’ built hundreds of hospitals, and they

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11589 carried the free elections of the Afghan So I am convinced all of us agree we message is getting across. Our enemies are and Iraqi people on their shoulders. want a solution. But the American starting to realize that America and its allies That is why we had free elections in troops, unfortunately, have become oc- are not leaving and are not intimidated. those two countries. cupiers. And 80 percent of the Iraqis I say to the Iraqi people—we will not aban- Now, you know, when we started this want us out of there. And I have a don you. We are committed to the completion thing, and if you look at the literature piece of paper here that the Vice Presi- of the mission to create a sovereign, free, se- of al Qaeda and the terrorist organiza- dent of Iraq, here, Tuesday night on cure and united Iraq. tions, they question the capability of the way home on Air Force One, Presi- During my 4 trips to Iraq in the last 3 years the American troops. They no longer dent Bush said there are concerns I have been heartened by the continued re- question that capability. Mr. Zarqawi about commitment in keeping our solve of our forces. After receiving briefings does not question that capability. Sad- troops there. They are worried about it from the Generals, I always make sure to dam Hussein does not question that ca- to a person. They said they will leave spend an equal amount of time with the senior pability. They have been convinced of before capable. enlisted men and junior officers who are lead- it in thousands of firefights. They don’t Then the reports, ing at the tip of the spear. The casualty count question the troops’ commitment to yesterday morning Iraqi’s Vice Presi- among this group is rising—and that is hard to this mission. And the troops’ commit- dent has asked President Bush for a grapple with—but it is for a purpose. ment to this mission is manifested in timetable for withdrawal of foreign A man who was responsible for so many of reenlistments rates. For the Fourth ID, forces from Iraq. And Iraq’s Vice Presi- these casualties—Zarqawi—is now dead. He the Third ID, the 101st, the 10th Moun- dent’s office said Vice President of Iraq was killed by a 500 pound bomb dropped from tain Division, the First Marines, re- made the request during his meeting an F–16. This weapon and this method of em- enlistments, after multiple tours of with Bush on Tuesday when the U.S. ployment were thoroughly developed and test- more than 130 percent of the require- President made a surprise visit. I sup- ed at Eglin Air Force Base in Okaloosa Coun- ment. ported him, the President said. Eighty ty, Florida. The dedicated air force active duty, civilian They don’t question the continued percent of the Iraqi people want us out. personnel and contractors from the Test and commitment of the President. They They want to solve these problems Evaluation Community and the Air Force Re- have seen this President go through themselves. The Americans cannot highs and lows in the polls and con- search Laboratory can be equally proud. force democracy on Iraq. I would like to remind my colleagues and tinue his commitment to the mission Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of the American people of the courage it must that we launched together. The only my time. take to vote in a country that has never known question they have now is us. They Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- democracy while under the threat of death— question our commitment to this mis- fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the pur- simply for making one’s voice heard. This sion. And this resolution, Mr. Speaker, pose of making a unanimous consent is a chance to unite this House of Rep- courage is commendable and is a cause worth request to the gentleman from Florida resentatives by restating our commit- fighting for. (Mr. MILLER). Mr. Speaker, America and her citizens are ment to this mission. Let’s do it so Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, that tonight, when those troops come strong. We will continue to lead the way in having returned from my fourth trip to home from their patrols and their showing the Iraqi people how to establish a Iraq over the Memorial Day break, I recons and their convoys and they look free and democratic nation and we and they rise in support of H. Res. 861. at the news, they are going to say the will never forget the sacrifice of those who Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of America. I United States House of Representa- made their democracy possible. rise in support of our active troops and those tives, they stand with us. Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield who have given their lives and those who will fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield for the pur- myself as much time as I may con- give their lives so that we will prevail in this pose of making a unanimous consent sume. global war on terrorism. These troops are part request to the gentleman from Georgia The problem is, 42 percent of the peo- of an all-volunteer force that is the envy of the (Mr. PRICE). ple don’t know what the mission is. world. Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I When I talk to the young folks in the I rise to reassure the American and Iraqi rise in support of the resolution. hospitals, they tell me their mission is people that we reject any timetable for the International Terrorism—when we discuss to go out and find IEDs. That is explo- withdrawal or redeployment of U.S. forces in this very important issue—an issue of life and sive devices. Their mission is to be a Iraq before victory. death—not just for each of us individually, but target. AI Qaeda and other terrorist organizations for our nation and way of life—it is imperative Hey, we all agree with everything have attacked our family, neighbors and friend that we begin our discussion—at the begin- that the gentleman from California numerous times over the last three decades. ning. And that beginning wasn’t on 9-11! said, Mr. Speaker. We agree. We sup- What has been the response? For the most We’ve been under attack for at least 30 years. port the troops. We have done every- part, there has not been an adequate re- We did not want this fight—we did not invite thing we can do. It is the policy we dis- sponse. this fight—we did not wish to engage in this agree with. It is a change in direction And Mr. Speaker—that is hard to admit. battle. However, once our enemy crossed over we want. We are staying and we are Some would tell you we didn’t respond due to the line—confirmed for us and the world—that paying and we are paying with troops’ lack of political will, others would say America they were unwilling to respect international lives. We are paying with financial re- just didn’t have the stomach. law, respect individual liberty, respect sov- sources. From the killing of 241 U.S. service mem- ereignty of nations—and that they were willing The first gulf war the United States bers in Beirut in 1983 to the attack on the and desirous of engaging in mortal battle—no paid $5 billion. We had 500,000 American USS Cole in 2001, America responded in a other option was left to us or the civilized troops. We had 160,000 coalition troops. cautious manner. world. President Bush I did a marvelous job, This is no longer the case. Due to the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, on January 23, one of the finest international coali- events of September 11, 2001 our country 2005, said: ‘‘We have declared a fierce war on tions in the history of the United was forced to reevaluate our defensive and of- this evil principle of democracy and those who States. They paid and they produced fensive strategies. follow this wrong ideology.’’ and they supported. But he knew how Led by our Commander-in-Chief and with So, this discussion today comes down to a far he could go. He understood the the support of the Congress, our government fundamental question—what is the appropriate enemy and he understood what could decided to take the fight to every cave the strategy and tactic to adopt to win the War on be done. And he was willing to change enemy hides in—sending an unmistakable Terror? direction. When they thought they had message. We will fight the enemy overseas Will we withdraw and simply defend—a pol- enough troops, General Schwartzkopf and prevent him from reaching our shores. icy of isolation and containment—or will we said he needed more troops, he put Having been to Iraq during the recent Me- aggressively combat terrorism—and take the more troops on the ground. morial Day holiday, I am pleased to report the battle to our enemy?

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11590 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 This war is unlike any other in history—with- American servicemen were injured in a Libyan We must not be held hostage by terrorism— out a doubt. bomb attack in West Berlin, West Germany. that is not living in liberty and freedom! Our enemy has no single home. It recruits December 21, 1988—Pan Am 103 Bomb- There are defining moments every genera- and trains its army from nations around the ing—Pan Am 103 blown up over Lockerbie, tion must face. For this generation that defin- world. The only unifying element is hate—hate Scotland by bomb placed by Libyan terror- ing moment is how we engage in this War on for the West—hate for democracy—hate for ists—all 259 people on board were killed. Terror—highlighted by a very different post 9– freedom of religion—hate for liberty. February 26, 1993—First World Trade Cen- 11 world. When we came to that defining mo- The only message our enemy understands ter Bombing—car bomb exploded in an under- ment—that tragic day—we, as a nation with is force. Period. Terrorists don’t negotiate— ground garage killing 6 people and injuring our allies around the world, decided we would terrorists don’t compromise—terrorists are not over 1000. not allow terrorists to win. interested in peace. To them, that’s weakness. November 13, 1995—car bomb explodes at The choice is clear, our resolve is clear. We Thankfully we’ve stayed the course. Thank- U.S. military complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, will and must prevail. fully we’ve persevered in both Iraq and Af- killing one U.S. citizen, several foreign national Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- ghanistan. The greatest threat to terrorism is employees of the U.S. government and over fornia. Mr. Speaker, we have just two freedom, liberty and democracy—in the Middle 40 others. more speakers, the whip and then our East and beyond. June 25, 1996—Khobar Towers Bombing— majority leader. Today the terrorists are truly on the run. a truck bomb in Dhahran destroys Khobar Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask Last week U.S. and Iraqi forces eliminated Towers, a U.S. Air Force barracks, killing 19 unanimous consent that Mr. LUNGREN Al Qaeda in Iraq’s top terrorist—Abu Musab Al U.S. military personnel and wounding 515 control the remaining 30 seconds of our Zarqawi. This was accomplished with excellent people, including 240 U.S. personnel. time. intelligence—knowing where the bad guys August 7, 1998—U.S. Embassy Bombings The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there were and when. And this information came in East Africa—two coordinated attacks on objection to the request of the gen- from Iraqi civilians—that is a very positive U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania—kill- tleman from California? sign. ing over 300. There was no objection. This important step demonstrates many October 12, 2000—Attack on U.S.S. Cole— Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- things: we will hunt down terrorists and elimi- a small dingy carrying explosives rammed the fornia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 51⁄2 minutes nate them wherever they are hiding, the destroyer U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors and in- to the distinguished majority whip, Mr. shackles of decades long terrorism are being juring 39. BLUNT. removed from the Middle East, Iraqi security September 11, 2001—Terrorist Attacks on Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank forces are stepping up to the challenge; Iraqi U.S. Homeland—Two hijacked airliners the gentleman for yielding, and I thank citizens want to be free of terrorists and they crashed into the twin towers of the World you for presiding over this important are not going to sit idly by. Trade Center. Soon thereafter, the Pentagon debate and for the opportunity to ad- Success breeds success. was struck by a third hijacked plane. A fourth dress the House as this debate nears its Never has that been more evident than this hijacked plane, suspected to be bound for a conclusion. past week. high-profile target in Washington, crashed into Let’s be clear about what is at stake While Zarqawi was eliminated—finding him a field in southern Pennsylvania. The attacks today as we debate this issue. Whether brought a treasure trove of information allow- killed 3,025 U.S. citizens and other nationals. or not we are successful in winning the ing U.S. and Iraqi forces to dismantle many Treating these incidents as crimes—not acts global war on terror will define the fu- more pieces of Al Qaeda’s puzzle. of war—and providing reactionary measures ture, and it will define this generation Success breeds success. rather than moving pro actively—will not work. in the eyes of future historians. Our re- Iraq just this past week selected 3 more offi- How do we know? Because that is precisely solve is being tested by clever enemies cials—cabinet ministers—to serve in its stand- what we did for decades—and the con- with primitive philosophies of religion ing government. sequence was 9–11. and government. When my colleagues Success breeds success. The attacks we witnessed that day serve as cast their vote today, they are sending It is also important for us to recall and reit- a reminder of the dangers we face as a nation a message about what they believe erate why we are engaged in this war. in a post-9/11 world. We can no longer expect America’s capable of doing and about It is imperative during this debate that we oceans between us and our enemies to keep whether the global war on totali- re-examine the conditions that required the us safe. tarianism is worth fighting. United States to take military action in Afghan- Policy of containment has been proven to Our actions here on the House floor istan and Iraq in the aftermath of the attacks be a dismal failure. are being watched not only by our en- of September 11, 2001. Just as the battle in Afghanistan was not emies, but by our friends and allies as Just a short look at recent history—just the simply to remove the Taliban. The battle in well. The message we send will be re- last 27 years—vividly demonstrates the death, Iraq was not simply to remove Saddam Hus- ceived by the coalition partners fight- destruction and terror brought to Americans by sein and his murderous regime. ing with us, the people and leaders of our enemy. One has to look no further than the action Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Ameri- November 4, 1979—Iranian radicals seized of our enemy to see that we are fighting those cans fighting for peace and freedom the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 53 hos- who want to bring their brand of terror and who believe in their mission. This vote, tages for 444 days. fear to our shores. I know, is not being taken lightly, and April 18, 1983—Sixty-three people, including We must not forget those threats that have believe me, it should not be taken the CIA’s Middle East directory, were killed been disrupted here at home and on our al- lightly. The resolution we are consid- when our U. S. Embassy in Beirut was lies: the West Coast Airliner Plot; The ering is clear and unambiguous. We are bombed. Heathrow Airport Plot; and The Jose Padilla declaring that the United States will October 23, 1983—simultaneous suicide Plot. prevail in the global war on terror. bomb attacks on American and French com- The campaign against the United States pounds in Beirut, Lebanon; killing 242 Ameri- and its allies is ambitious, simple and clear. b 1030 cans and 58 French troops. Terrorists will stop at nothing to achieve This war is not a war of choice, but March 16, 1984—Islamic Jihad kidnapped their distorted sense of reality. one initiated and sustained by the ac- and later murdered Political Officer William Now, we could have easily stayed out of tion of terrorists. It is being fought in Buckley in Beirut, Lebanon. this conflict . . . many parts of the world with all the October 7, 1985—Achille Lauro Hijacking— However, giving terrorists free reign would diplomatic, cultural, financial and, terrorists seized the Italian cruise liner and not make us any safer—history has proven when absolutely necessary, military re- murdered one American invalid in a wheel- that. sources available to us. In places like chair. The price would be more innocent lives Iraq and Afghanistan, terrorists have April 5, 1986—Berlin Discotheque Bomb- lost—more bombings—and not an ounce of chosen to make a stand. They under- ing—Two U.S. soldiers were killed and 79 peace. stand the only way they can defeat the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11591 United States is not in battle with our ple who live in this area have never be- Outside of the safety and security of Bagh- soldiers, who are the best in the world, fore had a permanent democratically dad’s ‘‘green zone,’’ there is ‘‘something dif- but in the battle of public opinion. In- elected government. This government ferent happening’’ and U.S. troops are sur- formation is the key weapon in that also happens to be a broad-based gov- rounded by it—the depravity and brutality of battle. ernment that is committed to serve. an Iraqi civil war. Murderous militias, govern- Over the week of Memorial Day, I I have said many times before, as ment sponsored death squads, paramilitary was able to travel to both Afghanistan many have said on this floor in the last brigades, insurgents and organized criminals and Iraq to see again firsthand our Na- 2 days, that only the Iraqis are ulti- who kidnap and kill children—these are the tion’s efforts to combat terrorists and mately capable of solving their prob- forces that control neighborhoods, rule the assist in the establishment of modern lems. The only way to solve them is streets and are on the payroll of Iraq’s Ministry democracies. Universally in both coun- through increased transparency, eco- of the Interior. tries, the people we talked to, includ- nomic reform, and democratic partici- Let me cite a May 7, 2006 article from the ing the leaders that we met with, told pation in government. None of this will Los Angeles Times to underscore how dif- our delegation that withdrawing Amer- be easy, and I have nothing but admi- ferent Iraq is today, ‘‘More Iraqi civilians were ican troops before democracy has had a ration for Iraqi leaders who are under- killed in Baghdad during the first 3 months of chance to take root would lead to dis- taking these tasks in the face of enor- this year than in any time since the toppling of aster. mous personal risk. Saddam Hussein’s regime—at least 3,800, In Afghanistan, President Karzai be- It is in the context of this personal many of them found hogtied and shot execu- lieves that the southern part of the risk that I appeal to my colleagues, tion-style. Others were strangled, electrocuted, country is keeping a lid on the Taliban who live peacefully and safely in the stabbed, garroted or hanged. Some died in precisely because of the presence of our world’s oldest constitutional democ- bombings. Many bore signs of torture such as troops. He believes his countrymen racy, the United States of America, not bruises, drill holes, burn marks, gouged eyes uniquely understand how important it to turn their backs on the leaders of or severed limbs.’’ is that our soldiers, American soldiers, the world’s newest democracy. This horrific depravity does not reflect a maintain a visible role, even as the Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I have global war on terror, it is a civil war and Amer- day-to-day operations are often turned three unanimous consent requests. ican troops have no business separating reli- I yield for the purpose of making a over to our NATO allies. And while we gious groups determined to kill each other in unanimous consent request to the gen- were there, our ambassador was able to order to settle old scores or accumulate polit- tlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. MCCOL- report to President Karzai that both ical power. ‘‘Now the killings are systematic, LUM). the Canadians and the Dutch had been Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. personal. Masked gunman storm into houses, vigorously and successfully engaged Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to and the victims—the majority of them the day before. But President Karzai put my statement in the RECORD on Sunnis—are never seen alive. Such killings was equally vigorous in his sense that House Resolution 861. now claim nine times more lives than car the commitment of America was the The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there bombings, according to figures provided by a commitment that the Afghan people objection to the request of the gentle- high-ranking U.S. military official, who re- were worried about. woman from Minnesota? leased them only on the condition of anonym- Today we will tell our friend, Presi- There was no objection. ity,’’ the same Los Angeles Times article dent Karzai, that America will not Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker states. abandon our Afghan friends, that we today we mourn the death of the 2,500th Is this the vital American interest for which will not close that embassy again and American soldier in Iraq and are disgusted by 2,500 Americans have given their lives? If we lock the door and walk away for 10 the headline in yesterday’s Washington Post don’t stop these barbarous murders in Iraq years. stating, ‘‘Iraq Amnesty Plan May Cover At- does it really mean they will then bring their In Iraq, which al Qaeda has call the tacks on U.S. Military.’’ With another American torture and executions to America’s towns and central front, and that is their quote, soldier killed and the news of Iraqi Prime Min- neighborhoods as the Republican scare tactics not mine, the central front in their war ister al-Maliki seeking amnesty for insurgents purport? Of course not; this simple-minded against the West, the sentiment for who have killed and maimed U.S. troops, this ‘‘fight them over there so we don’t have to America to stay is even more pro- House debates H. Res. 861, a meaningless, fight them here’’ Republican rhetoric reflects nounced. In Baghdad I spoke with nonbinding Republican resolution that is a po- their blindness to the real situation on the Speaker Mashhadani, a Sunni politi- litical document designed as a partisan cam- ground in Iraq. Iraq’s endless domestic atroc- cian, a leader who had been very op- paign ploy, not a serious attempt to address ities and brutality is their domestic tragedy, not posed to the United States coming to the failings and mismanagement of this disas- a global phenomenon, but the Republicans Iraq, but now believes that the pres- trous Iraq policy. Our troops in Iraq are in are more interested in using this argument in ence of the United States, again, until harm’s way, they are sacrificing tremendously their political campaigns than they are in democracy takes root, is essential to for all Americans and the Iraqi people, and bringing our troops home from this civil war the establishment of democracy in that this Republican Congress honors their sac- safely. country. rifice with a farcical debate—it is shameful. We know that President Bush’s stated And while visiting the newly formed A majority of Americans know that the Bush premise for the war in Iraq, weapons of mass Kurdish regional government in Erbil, administration’s Iraq policy is strategically destruction, was a fabrication and a deceptive I spoke with those leaders who have re- bankrupt and it has put U.S. troops in the un- exaggeration. But is it now the duty of U.S. cently put aside generations of dif- tenable position of refereeing an Iraqi civil war. soldiers to police the death-squads that are ferences in favor of a unified Iraq. Offi- It is a policy that has made America less safe operating within the Iraqi police and commit- cials from the new Iraqi Government I and more at risk in a dangerous world. ting gross human rights violations? Is it the met with gave me additional reasons to Earlier this week President Bush returned duty of our brave troops to disarm Shiite mili- be hopeful for the future. These elected from a 5-hour visit to Baghdad and said, ‘‘I tias that are extensions of the Iraqi Govern- leaders are committed to governing. sense something different happening in Iraq.’’ ment and responsible for imposing religious Their predecessors had been committed This profoundly unenlightened observation law and hunting down violators of their sect of to a political goal in each case, to after 5 hours inside the safety of the ‘‘green faith? Absolutely not. write a Constitution, to conduct a tem- zone’’ contrasts with U.S. troops who are on The mantra from President Bush and the porary election, to conduct a perma- their third tour of duty in the midst of a cha- Republican Congress is ‘‘stay the course.’’ It is nent election. otic, deadly and deteriorating civil war. This an outrageous and irrational strategy that re- This government is the first demo- White House has made ‘‘victory’’ the basis for flects the bankruptcy and myopic nature of this cratically elected government in the an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, but the administration’s assessment of the situation in- history of not just the country of Iraq only exit strategy this president has thus far side Iraq. An occupied Iraq will keep U.S. that has only been in existence since developed was his own—for his departure troops as targets of Iraq’s nationalist insur- World War I, but the history of the peo- from Baghdad after only 5 hours. gents and never allow that country to escape

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11592 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 the current security crisis, political crisis and fi- more than 250,000 Iraq security forces are the First, the House Leadership has brought this nancial crisis. Only if this occupation ends is frequently stated highlights of this war. These Resolution before the full membership of the Iraq capable of truly being a sovereign nation achievements are the sole result of U.S. House with the assertion that it will launch a that is responsible for its own problems and troops and their sacrifice and bravery. Yet, this full and open debate on U.S. policy in Iraq. It future. mission is confronting a reality that is darker is unfortunate, Mr. Speaker, that the process Instead of allowing Iraq to determine its own and much more ominous in large part because of drafting the Resolution we are to consider destiny, President Bush has made an indefi- this ill-conceived pre-emptive war has un- today was totally closed to members of the nite U.S. military commitment to Iraq, almost, leashed forces that are beyond the control of Democratic party, and that the expressed in- assuring tens of thousands of additional U.S. U.S. troops that are antithetical to U.S. inter- tent of the Republican Leadership, as be- soldiers will be sent to confront Iraq’s prob- ests. trayed by the memorandum that was sent to lems. Since U.S. forces are in the fourth year On May 26, 2006, Tom Lasseter reported Republican members by the Majority Leader, of a war that was intended to last only months for Knight Ridder that ‘‘Southern Iraq, long was to demonstrate that the Democrats are in- and the concept of a U.S. victory over all the touted as a peaceful region that’s likely to be terested in ‘‘conceding defeat on the battle- various factions of murderers, criminals and among the first areas returned to Iraqi control, field’’ and that we as a party ‘‘sheepishly dis- armed insurgents is delusional, one can only is now dominated by Shiite Muslim warlords miss the challenges that America faces in a surmise that U.S. troops will be in Iraq when and militiamen who are laying the groundwork post 9/11 world.’’ Mr. Speaker, no political the Bush administration leaves office in Janu- for an Islamic fundamentalist government, say party has a monopoly on patriotism, and I can ary 2009. For this reason, Congress needs to senior British and Iraqi officials in the area.’’ state with certainty that no member of either dictate a clear position that will allow for the Even with 130,000 U.S. troops and thou- political party has any interest in conceding redeployment of U.S. troops within the region sands more from coalition partners, Iraq is not defeat or in ignoring real threats to our na- to defend U.S. interests and refocus our atten- on a path that will yield a free, democratic tional security. This type of partisanship is un- tion to the war on terrorism. This will allow for state in the Middle East. The occupation has necessary at any time, but especially in this a restoration of Iraqi sovereignty and the op- cleared the way for the establishment of a the- debate today. portunity for Iraqis to determine their own fu- ocratic order that will ensure clerics and mili- Secondly, if we are to have a full and open ture. tiamen dictate obedience to religious law— debate over U.S. policy in Iraq, it should be an The Bush administration’s mismanagement Sharia law—with absolutely zero tolerance for ongoing activity here in the House, where we of its Iraq policy from a military and geo- any form of pluralism. The current situation in legitimately share the constitutional responsi- political perspective is only exacerbated by the Basra only highlights the incomprehensible ig- bility to ‘‘provide for the common defense’’ and tremendous investment of U.S. tax dollars that norance of the designers of U.S. Iraq policy to to provide the funds necessary to adequately have yielded such unremarkable results. To consider the powerful cultural and religious defend our Nation against aggression and any date, more than $320 billion has been bor- forces the U.S. invasion of Iraq unleashed. threats to the security of our people. As any rowed and spent in Iraq. Every single dollar Tragically, the 2,500 U.S. troops who have observer of the House of Representatives has been added to our Nation’s national debt been killed, the almost 20,000 who have been knows, since the start of the war in Iraq we with the burden for the financial cost of this wounded and the tens of thousands of Iraqi have rarely debated the merits of our policy in war on the backs of all of our children and the women, children and men who have been Iraq, and we have conducted very little over- grandchildren, including those of the very sol- killed—often times brutally—have suffered the sight as we have spent $318 billion, as 2,500 diers who are now fighting and sacrificing in consequences of President Bush’s Iraq policy. American soldiers have been killed, and more Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 861 purposely avoids Iraq. Image, this Congress and White House than 18,000 troops have been wounded in the dangerous reality and dismisses the tre- have looked the other way as almost $9 billion battle. On the eve of the 2002 elections we mendous challenges confronting U.S. troops in has simply disappeared into a system in which were pushed into a premature debate and Iraq and America’s real challenges with regard corruption is endemic and financial mis- vote authorizing the use of force, based on to terrorism and extremist threats. This resolu- management the norm. Every American what we now know was inaccurate or over- tion is a dishonest attempt to inject raw politics should feel betrayed by this Congress and its stated information about the capability and in- into a congressional debate that will do noth- disregard for oversight and accountability with ing to keep America secure or bring U.S. tentions of the Iraqi government. Since the regard to the hard-earned tax dollars of U.S. troops home safe and soon. As we look to the start of the military action in Iraq three years citizens. future, my intention is to continue to support a ago, we have been called together in this As Americans fight and die in Iraq and comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism, Chamber to debate resolutions commending Americans pay hundreds of billions of dollars keep America secure from real strategic the abilities and the bravery of our troops, for this war, it is remarkable to hear the words threats and to redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq’s which all of us in this Chamber were united in of Iraq’s Prime Minister al-Maliki. President civil war. All Americans support our troops, but approving. But we have not, Mr. Speaker, con- Bush earlier this week, in a moment of poetry, it is time for Congress to support a policy that ducted what I believe is the proper level of looked into the prime minister’s eyes. It was ensures U.S. troops have an exit strategy from oversight of the decisions that took us to war, unclear what the President saw, but we do Iraq. This resolution should be defeated and I the decisions about troop levels at the outset know the words the prime minister has used will vote against it. of the conflict, the post conflict mistakes that on June 1, 2006 to describe U.S. troops when Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield were made, the handling of the insurgency he said, ‘‘They (troops in the American led co- for the purpose of making a unanimous and the overall plan for victory and redeploy- alition) crush them (Iraqi civilians) with their consent request to the gentleman from ment of our troops. It is not sufficient to bring vehicles and kill them just on suspicion. This Washington (Mr. DICKS). these occasional resolutions to the floor, draft- is completely unacceptable.’’ The Prime Min- Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in op- ed by the Republican caucus, intended to ex- ister called the U.S. violence against Iraqis a position to the resolution. press political talking points rather than stimu- ‘‘daily phenomenon.’’ Now, President Bush’s Mr. Speaker, it has been my honor to serve late genuine discussion about our policy in soul-mate wants to provide amnesty for those as a member of the Defense Appropriations Iraq. who murdered and maimed as many as Committee for 28 years here in the House of So as we debate this particular Resolution 20,000 U.S. troops. Is this why the Repub- Representatives and to often engage in de- today it must be said that all Members of this licans in Congress want to stay the course in bates over important issues of national de- House support the troops who have been en- Iraq? fense and national security here on the floor of gaged in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr. Speaker, there is a civil war—a 21st this Chamber. It has always been my view and that we are all encouraged when terrorists Century civil war—raging in Iraq. It is based that partisanship should end at the water’s such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi are brought to on religion and historical events that can never edge, and that all of us here in this body have justice. To imply any different in today’s de- be remedied by 130,000 U.S. troops whether a solemn obligation to consider the best inter- bate would be an injustice. they remain as an occupying force for 1 more ests of the Nation as we debate military in- But that is not all that this Resolution states. year or 50 years. What we have achieved in volvement, especially at times when U.S. Nor is it all that it implies by the words that are Iraq is certain. The end of Saddam’s regime, troops are involved in ongoing military actions. printed in it or, even more revealingly, by the three elections, an Iraqi constitution, a new With that said, let me make two points things that are omitted from it. Again, this is permanent government and the training of about this debate today over H. Res. 861. why it is inappropriate to draft a Resolution of

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11593 this importance without any input or consulta- the future of a Democratic Iraq, but as we company out of Tomah, Black River Falls, and tion with Members of the Democratic Party, work with the new government to accomplish Beliot; the Wisconsin Army National Guards’ and why this exercise today is not, in my judg- these objectives, Mr. Speaker, I believe it may 229th Engineer Company out of Prairie du ment, worthy of the trust that the American be time to take the training wheels off, and to Chien and Platteville; the 829th Engineer De- people put in their Representatives here in the communicate directly to the Iraqis that they tachment out of Richland Center; the Army House. are running their own nation, as unsteady as Reserve’s 652nd Engineer Company out of The Resolution we are debating today, Mr. it may seem in the near future. Ellsworth; and the 32nd Engineer Company Speaker, misstates the mission of the United But above all, what we should be doing out of Onalaska. These units have served or States actions in Iraq—implying very directly today in the House of Representatives is are serving in Iraq, and I am extraordinarily that there was a direct relationship between sending a clear signal to the American people proud of their service to our country. the 9/11 attacks and our invasion of Iraq, in and to the international community that we are But as good and capable as our troops are, addition to ignoring the use of the WMD threat in favor of changing course . . . of moving be- it is incumbent upon us policy-makers to do in justifying the invasion to our coalition part- yond the status quo and adopting a new and everything in our power to get the policies ners and to the American people. Beyond that, more successful strategy to achieve a peace- right. We must ensure that they are fighting on the only actions it says that we, as the House ful and stable Iraq. our behalf for the right reasons and with the of Representatives, resolve to promote are ac- This Resolution, Mr. Speaker, unques- support and resources they need to do their tions that support the status quo, inferring that tioningly endorses the status quo, and for that job as safely and effectively as possible. the Members of this Chamber are clearly sat- reason I cannot and will not support it. That’s why this discussion we’re having isfied with the status quo and believe the Ad- Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield today is a disappointment. This resolution is a ministration’s policy is headed in the right di- for the purpose of making a unani- political document timed just before the fall rection. I would contend, Mr. Speaker, that mous-consent request to the gentleman elections rather than a serious substantive de- very few of the Members of this Chamber ac- from Wisconsin (Mr. KIND). bate about our involvement in Iraq, Afghani- tually are satisfied with the status quo, and Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise in sup- stan and across the globe. Why else would certainly it is clear that the American people, port of the resolution. the majority republican party prevent amend- whom we represent individually and collec- Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the ments from being offered or even the right of tively in this House, believe we need to outstanding service provided by our men and the others to offer an alternative resolution. change course and adopt a new strategy in women in the armed forces for the terrific job Such an alternative resolution would more Iraq. they do for us across the globe each and honestly focus on the shortcomings of this ad- That is precisely what I believe the House every day, often in very difficult and dan- ministration’s policies, which has been high- should be doing today, instead of debating the gerous circumstances. This is especially true lighted by numerous retired military officers in merits of a partisan measure that effectively today in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. recent months. Only through an honest as- congratulates Secretary Rumsfeld for pursuing Active military, guard, and reserves forces sessment of those shortcomings will we have a responsible course of action. We need to from western Wisconsin have answered the the ability to find the solutions and make ad- change direction. Our strategy in Iraq is not call to service in the most recent conflict with justments to the goals being pursued. working. It will not produce the victory we all global terrorism. I have been to numerous de- As someone who supported the Iraq resolu- say we believe in. Nor will it allow us to see ployment ceremonies and witnessed the an- tion in the fall of 2002, I believed it was impor- far enough ahead to the time when we can le- guish in the hearts and faces of family and tant that we get weapons inspection teams gitimately redeploy our troops and bring them friends as they say goodbye to their loved back in Iraq to check on the status of Saddam home. What has been needed, and what is ones being deployed abroad for lengthy stays. Hussein’s WMD capability. I also believed at still required, is accountability, and we can I have also been to numerous welcome home the time that Hussein would not allow inspec- only accomplish that, Mr. Speaker, by greater ceremonies to honor their service and to thank tion teams back in unless there was a credible oversight, more thoughtful questioning of the them for their sacrifice. threat of force hanging over his head. decisions that are made at the Pentagon and During my three visits to Iraq, I met with our To this day, those who opposed the resolu- in the field, and more openness in considering military command and troops in the field, as tion have not been able to explain how they new directions and new strategies, even if it well as numerous Iraqi leaders and civilians. I would have accomplished getting inspection risks conceding that some of the actions this can honestly say that nothing made me teams back in Iraq or whether they viewed Administration has taken have been wrong. prouder to be an American than seeing the that as an important objective. The Resolution we are addressing today, Mr. performance of our troops in the field. They After we were successful in getting inspec- Chairman, allows for no such questioning and are well-trained, well-motivated and an inspira- tion teams back in, however, I led the effort in it only assumes that we are all committed to tion to us all. They are, in short, the best congress, with representative Sherrod Brown, a strategy that has put us in a position from America has to offer. I am sure everyone here to send the president a letter signed by 150 of which no one can say how long it will be . . . today wishes them godspeed and safe travels our colleagues to give the inspection teams a year, two years, five years . . . before our as they carry out their missions. more time to do their job. At that time, we mission is accomplished and our troops can Specifically, I would like to take a moment were informed in intelligence briefings that we return home. to recognize the soldiers from the Third Con- were cooperating with those inspection teams It is not irresponsible for us to suggest that gressional District of Wisconsin who have lost by directing them to suspected sites of WMD. other members of our coalition in Iraq should their lives in the Iraq war: First Lieutenant Jer- They, however, were not finding what the be assuming a greater share of the burden. It emy Wolfe of Menomonie, Major Christopher president suspected Hussein was hiding. is not irresponsible for us to suggest that we Splinter of Platteville, Private First Class Bert I felt increasingly uncomfortable with what I should be scaling back our role, accelerating Hoyer of Ellsworth, Private First Class Andrew perceived to be faulty intelligence information the training of the Iraqi forces and encour- Halverson of Muscoda, Staff Sergeant Todd given to us members of congress and the ma- aging the new Iraqi leaders to understand that Olson of Loyal, Staff Sergeant Andrew Bossert nipulation of intelligence to fit a preconceived they need to take charge of their own govern- of Fountain City, Specialist Charles Kaufman ideological outcome. ment, their own security and their own econ- of Fairchild, Sergeant First Class Trevor Rather than have the intelligence facts omy. We are helping, and should continue to Diesing of Plum City, Benjamin Smith of Hud- shape our policy, I believe today that it was help, restore the power grids, the water sup- son, Private First Class Anthony Gaunky of preconceived notions or ideology that distorted plies and the oil production facilities so the Sparta, Sergeant Andy Allen Stevens of the intelligence to make the case for war. Iraqi people will see signs of progress that Tomah, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaime S. Even former Secretary of State Colin Powell thus far have disappointed them. We must Jaenke of Bay City. I would also like to recog- has acknowledged his disappointment with the continue to encourage the new Iraqi Prime nize Christopher Lem of Lyndon Station who intelligence information he used to make the Minister al-Maliki and his government in its lost his life while working in Iraq as an inde- case before the United Nations. Numerous in- campaign for national reconciliation and in its pendent contractor. telligence officers and State Department Offi- effort to disarm the militias, reduce the sec- Furthermore, I would like to highlight the cials have expressed similar reservations. tarian violence and bring social and economic good work of the 128th infantry division out of I also felt increasingly concerned about the stability to the nation. I remain hopeful about western Wisconsin; the 1158th transportation President’s haste to go to war, the lack of real

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11594 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 effort to build international support, the lack of control of their own future, through self-gov- the path of developing nuclear cap ability be- a plan for the day after or even a clear exit ernment and security responsibilities. We can- cause we have no leverage over them. Iran’s strategy once we got there. We now know by not do this for them; we cannot stay there in- influence grows in the region with the majority many retired generals, the president ignored definitely as the President proposes; we can- Shiite population in southern Iraq and their the advice of our military leaders. My big re- not want a free, stable and secure Iraq more support of Hamas who recently won Pales- gret is in believing the president when he said than the Iraqi people want it. Such a change tinian elections. that the decision to go to war would be a mat- in tactics will enable us to begin the redeploy- What our involvement in the Middle East ter of last resort. That is what the resolution ment of our troops first within Iraq, off the front clearly demonstrates is the need for a new en- required but instead the president ordered the lines, then within the region and eventually ergy policy for a new century so we can break inspection teams out of Iraq, even though they back home to their families. It’s time for a re- our dependence on foreign oil. Today we are wanted to stay and finish their work, and then sponsible and successful exit strategy to be financing both sides of global terror, the huge he ordered our military in. Today, our troops implemented. In short, it’s time to take the costs of our military excursions but also, and our country are paying a very high price training wheels off. through the petro-dollars flowing to many re- in loss of lives and resources due to this rush There have been recent successes in Iraq gimes in the Middle East, to charities and to war. that we all can applaud. Thanks should be schools that support the teaching of radical I was concerned that the main threat given to our troops in their successful cam- Islam and helps turn a new generation of against the United States, Al Qaeda, was still paign against Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the no- young people against us in the region. And a global threat with global reach, and that the torious and ruthless terrorist whose goal was again, there is no plan by the administration person who was directly responsible for 9–11, to create chaos and destruction and fan the for a new direction. Osama Bin Laden, was still at large and safe. flames of civil war. Equally disturbing is a recent study that I believed the President was taking his eye off The Iraqis should be commended for finally, shows that anti-Americanism is rampant and the ball in Afghanistan and not doing every- 5 months after national elections, forming a growing throughout the world, not just through- thing in our power to bring those responsible coalition government in which to govern, as out the Arab and Muslim world but also in for 9–11 to justice. It sends a terrible message well as making the important appointments to those countries that have been traditional to would-be terrorists who may be interested the interior and defense ministries. friends and allies of the United States. No in striking us that all they have to do is go in Yet, even though our forces have proven matter how good and capable our military is, hiding and lie low until we get distracted on they can kill the likes of Zarqawi, the question we cannot fight this battle against global terror another adventure. remains whether we can defeat Zarqawism? without help and assistance in the inter- Instead, the President should have, with the That is a question that should be discussed national community. support of the American people and inter- and debated. And still, here today, there is no plan by this national community which we enjoyed at the Purple fingers alone do not make a democ- administration to turn these conditions around. time, made it our mission to never rest, never racy. Democratic institution building is vital, yet Iraq and these other challenging issues de- sleep until those responsible for 9–11 were this administration is slashing funding for serve an honest and open debate. Unfortu- brought to justice. Instead he diverted pre- these programs dedicated to creating viable, nately, that opportunity was taken from us cious resources and personnel from Afghani- long-lasting democratic institutions in Iraq. today by the majority who would rather white- stan and redirected them into Iraq. As a con- Getting support for the new Iraqi government wash conditions and pretend we’re heading in sequence, Osama Bin Laden is still at large, from the United Arab League and the inter- the right direction. The American people de- the Taliban are reconstituting themselves and national community is also crucial to Iraq’s ulti- serve better than this, our troops and their Al Qaeda remains a global threat. mate success or failure. But again, it is difficult families deserve better than this and this Con- But we are where we are today. The ques- to work together and leave together when you gress deserves better than this. We must re- tion now is how do we move forward and what didn’t go in together. assert our role as a co-equal branch of gov- is at stake. Now that we have gone into Iraq, Clearly, current conditions do not lend for ernment, capable of conducting proper over- I believe the outcome in Iraq is important, not much optimism. Over three years into this sight, demanding accountability of this and fu- only for the Iraqi people, to whom we owe a conflict, electricity generation is still below pre- ture administrations, and willing to make policy duty to be responsible, but also for the region war conditions. Oil production is still below changes to address and overcome the chal- and for our Nation’s long-term security inter- prewar conditions. Access to safe, clean drink- lenges we face today. est. If the Iraqi people are successful in estab- ing water is still below prewar conditions. The I end as I began, by offering heartfelt thanks lishing a representative government, a govern- level of violence against coalition forces and and undying admiration for our men and ment that respects human rights, religious tol- the Iraqi people are at an all time high. Sec- women in uniform for their service to our erance, minority rights and the empowerment tarian militias within the country and police country. May God provide his special bless- of women in their society, then Iraq could be- forces and growing in numbers and strength. ings and care for those who fell in the line of come a powerful model for change and reform Unemployment, at 45 percent, is at an all time duty. And may God continue to bless these in a region of the world that’s in desperate high which creates abject poverty and pro- United States of America. need of reform. vides fertile ground for militia recruitment and Mr. MURTHA. Mr. Speaker, I yield I believe that a precipitous withdrawal from more sectarian violence throughout the coun- myself the balance of my time. Iraq today will leave chaos, bloodshed and try. Let me go over what I said before. civil war in our wake. I believe that setting an Crime and corruption is rampant and in- All of us applaud the elections. All of artificial time for withdrawal will force our pol- creasing. Iraqi reconstruction is way behind us applaud the fact that Zarqawi was icy to merely revolve around that date rather schedule and infected with corruption and caught and the way he was caught, than on the mission to be accomplished. And fraud. In my last visit to Iraq in October of using Iraqis, giving information to I’ve been informed by our military command in 2005, I specifically sought explanations for the Iraqis, and the United States operating Iraq as well as our troops, that they do not de- administration’s failure to account for 9 billion and going in and eliminating Zarqawi. sire a date certain because we could be set- dollars of missing reconstruction funds. No ex- The problem is because of the way we ting them up for failure. They fear that condi- planation could be given. handled this at first, it got out of hand, tions could change on the ground that they We’re losing approximately 600 military per- and United States forces had to use have no control over which might make adher- sonnel every month due to death or injuries. overwhelming force in many cases. ing to that date difficult or ill-advised. They do The administration is literally breaking our mili- Fallujah, for instance, they went in not want artificial dates for the sake of political tary with no plan to save it. We are spending and put 300,000 people outside their expediency. 9 billion a month in Iraq with no plan on how homes. Only 100,000 have come back. I also believe, however, that this must be a to pay for it other than more borrowing and Now, in Anbar Province they have no crucial year of transition for us. Now that the spending and legacy of debt for our children to electricity at all. They have 2 million Iraqis have established a coalition government inherit. people there. They have zero projects and now that we have helped train over If there is a big winner in Iraq, it is Iran. The in Anbar Province. That is the prov- 250,000 Iraqi security forces, now is the time record high oil prices that Iraq helped bring is ince where we had the most trouble. to put pressure on the Iraqi people to take directly benefiting Iran. Iran continues down And then as I go through the liturgy of

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11595 things that have happened with 130,000 eign leaders and what they say. Why my pleasure to yield the balance of my troops there, this is the point: in May should we pay attention to what they time to the distinguished majority of 2003, we had 3,000 insurgents. In May say? Why should we pay attention leader (Mr. BOEHNER). of 2006, we have 20,000 insurgents. Now, when Zarqawi says they are going to Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank we are there. The United States forces drive us out of there? That is just rhet- my colleague for yielding. are occupying Iraq. The estimated oric. That is only rhetoric. This week the House has engaged in number of foreign fighters in 2003 was The only way it is going to be won is an important debate on the war in Iraq 100. This comes from our intelligence a change of direction. I gave some ex- and how best to combat terrorism in a people. And today there is an esti- amples before. When President Reagan post-9/11 world. And there are major mated 1,500. I think it is a little less went into Beirut, he went in with 1,400 differences between those of us who than that, but it is estimated at 1,500. people, and he decided he needed to support a strong national defense and Now, think. We have got 130,000 change direction. When he had the big- national security policy and under- troops. They supposedly have 265,000, gest tax cut in history at that time, he stand what we have at stake and those police and army trained. They have decided he had to make some adjust- who would prefer to retreat from the more confidence in their army than ments later on. He changed direction. world stage and attempt to manage the they have in the United States forces; When President Bush went into So- threat of terrorism and the danger that yet there are only 1,000 foreign fight- malia, President Clinton changed di- it poses. During the 1990s, the enemies of free- ers. We have sectarian violence which rection in Somalia because we made a dom used terror and violence in futile mistake and we went after Adid. There is, in my estimation, a civil war and we attempts to intimidate the United are times in our history when we have are caught in between. Our troops have States and the cause of freedom. I will to be big enough as a country to become the targets in a civil war. remind all of my colleagues that on All of us want this thing to be re- change direction. February 26, 1993, we had the first All of us want the same thing: sta- solved. This is absolutely essential to World Trade Center bombing. It killed stability in the free world because of bility in the Middle East. All of us six people and injured more than 1,000 the energy that comes from the Middle want to find a way to stabilize the Mid- people. And on June 25, 1996, a U.S. fa- East. But how we do it is what we dis- dle East. If we stay, we are going to cility in Saudi Arabia, the Khobar agree with. As long as American troops pay; and we are going to pay long term. Towers, was bombed, killing 20 people are there, we actually are attracting After the Vietnam War, it cost us and injuring some 372 more. On June 7, terrorism. through the Reagan administration to 1998, our embassy in Kenya was Do you know who wants us in Iraq? pay for it. Now, I voted against every bombed, killed 213 people and injured al Qaeda wants us in Iraq. Iran wants tax cut because I felt very strongly 5,000 people. And on June 7, 1998, the us in Iraq. North Korea wants us in that we couldn’t fight a war and cut same day, our embassy in Tanzania Iraq. Russia wants us in Iraq, and taxes. Now, there is an argument about was bombed, killed 11 people, injured 68 China wants us in Iraq. Why? Because that and you can argue about the ben- more. On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole we are depleting our financial re- efit of the tax cut. But you cannot was bombed, killing 17 of our sailors sources and our human resources. Be- fight a war and have tax cuts. And we and injuring 39 more. cause we are destroying the future via- will have spent $450 billion by the end What was our response? During the bility of the Army. We have $50 billion of this fiscal year. 1990s, world leaders looked at the in backlog right now for the Army, My proposal, if anybody has read, is mounting threat of terrorism, looked equipment that needs to be repaired. to redeploy and be ready. Redeploy to up, looked away, and hoped the prob- We have had to lower the standards for the periphery. Now, we went after lem would go away. But what happened the Army, taking category 4s, which Zarqawi. What happened when we went on September 11, 2001? 3,000 Americans we did not take for a long time. We after Zarqawi? The Iraqis reported to were killed by these same terrorists. have had Air Force people and Navy the Iraqis, and then the Iraqis reported And in a post-9/11 world, looking up, people we transferred over to the Army to the United States forces and they looking away, and hoping the problem because they do not have enough peo- worked together. This did not come would go away is no longer the answer. ple. And we can talk about reenlist- from inside Iraq. This came from out- That is why we are having this im- ment, but they had no reeinlistment side Iraq. This was the periphery. The portant debate here on the floor today. bonuses that I know of during the old F–16s came from outside of the country The American public deserves to hear days. They now have up to $150,000 that to go after him. And this was not some- how their elected leaders will respond they pay people in reenlistment bo- thing that just happened overnight. to international terrorism and those nuses. So we are having real problems. This was a long-term thing that they enemies who seek to destroy our Amer- I agree the troops are doing everything had been working on for a long time. ican way of life. they can. Their mission is actually ac- So in my estimation, the only way b 1045 complished. we can change things in Iraq is to Will we fight or will we retreat? That But let me go on. Monthly attacks on change direction. It has to be changed is the question that is posed to us. oil and gas assets: there were five in on the ground. What we say here today, Some of my friends on the other side of 2003, and it has gotten worse in 2006. Oil as President Abraham Lincoln said in the aisle often refer to Iraq as a dis- production is less than the prewar the Gettysburg Address, is going to traction. level. Oil production. Somebody com- mean very little. It will get lost in the They have called Operation Iraqi plained not long ago that electricity rhetoric. What means something is Freedom a war of choice that isn’t part doesn’t make any difference. Let me what happens on the ground. All of us of the real war on terror. Someone tell you something. If you have ever support the troops. If you vote for the should tell that to al Qaeda. Let’s be gone without electricity in your house, appropriation bill, the defense appro- clear here. Those who say this is a war you know that it makes a difference. priation bill, you vote to support the of choice are nothing more than wrong. I am just saying that we have 130,000 troops. If you voted for the Armed This is a war of necessity that we must troops there, and it is not going well. Services bill, you voted to support the fight. That is what I am saying. I am saying troops. But you don’t have to believe me. we have a problem, and our troops are I believe this resolution, if you vote Just listen to al Qaeda’s own leader, not able to solve the problem. We have for it, you are voting to support a their number two leader. Ayman al become the enemy. It has got to be won failed policy wrapped in illusion. And I Zawahiri knows how important the fu- on the ground. would recommend to the Members they ture of Iraq is to his cause. In a 6,000- We are giving a microphone to be vote against this resolution. word letter to al Qaeda’s then com- people like Zarqawi. We talk about Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of Cali- mander in Iraq, the recently elimi- Zarqawi. We talk about all these for- fornia. Mr. Speaker, at this time it is nated Zarqawi, he made clear that the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11596 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 terrorists view Iraq as a central battle- Some of my friends on the other side placed by freedom. Mr. Speaker, Mr. field in the global war on terror. have called the war in Iraq a failed ef- Reagan was right. And the editorial For some reason, this brazen declara- fort. This is curious, given the con- writers and many in Congress back tion from one of our nemesis about stant drumbeat of progress since the then were wrong. It is that same faith Iraq’s importance hasn’t registered toppling of the Hussein regime. More in humanity, that same faith in free- with many opponents of the war who children are going to school now in dom that compels us to win in Iraq and insist on conceding defeat and with- Iraq than at any point in their coun- to win the global war on terror. Free- drawing. If the terrorists tell us di- try’s history. The Iraqis have held suc- dom wins. And we will win, because rectly they see Iraq as a central front cessful elections, drafted and ratified a Ronald Reagan noted at the Branden- on their violent ambitions across the national constitution, and have put to- burg Gate, freedom trumps those an- globe, should we dismiss it? Should we gether the first sovereign, free and uni- cient hatreds. The freedom to raise dismiss their claims and simply wait fied government in Iraq’s history. your family, the freedom to walk your for them to attack America? Just in the past week we have seen kids to school, the freedom to live in Operation Iraqi Freedom was hardly several positive developments in Iraq peace. As Ronald Reagan said, it is al- a war of choice. Saddam was already a and the global war on terror. The U.S. ways freedom that is the victor. menace and a threat to international military forces eliminated the terrorist President John Kennedy said once so order when he ordered several divisions al Zarqawi, al Qaeda’s top commander eloquently, the cost of freedom is al- of the Iraqi army into Kuwait in 1990. in Iraq, and a cold-blooded killer. ways high, but Americans have always He routinely supported and openly en- The Iraqi Government named new In- paid it. And one path we shall never couraged acts of terrorism. He relent- terior, Defense and Security Ministers choose, and that is the path of sur- lessly persecuted and tortured his own as part of their new government’s con- render or submission. civilian population, including Shiias, tinued progress. And President Bush This week’s debate has given all of us Sunnis, Kurds and others. He engaged traveled to Baghdad to meet the newly an opportunity to answer a funda- in a multi-billion dollar scandal involv- appointed Prime Minister, Mr. Maliki, mental question, are we going to con- ing a number of our allies aimed at to discuss our growing partnership front the threat of terrorism and defeat thwarting the sanctions that were put with our new democratic ally. it, or will we relent and retreat in the in place after the gulf war, and abusing Yes, there have been some setbacks. hope that it just goes away? the Oil-for-Food Program, thus causing No war is easy, but an honest account Achieving victory is our only option. even greater harm to his own people. of our effort must acknowledge the And for the sake of the American peo- He refused to disclose and foreswear staying power of the insurgency and ple and our kids and theirs, we have no his maniacal pursuit of weapons of the support it has received from for- choice but to confront these terrorists, mass destruction, and he ignored inter- eign forces. But the effort and savagery win the war on terror, and spread free- national sanctions and resolutions of these insurgents and their sponsors dom and democracy around the world. passed by the United Nations Security only underscores our progress and the Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, Council. Saddam made the case for his importance of this effort in the global the war in Iraq reached another troubling mile- ouster better than anyone else could. war on terror. stone yesterday with the announcement that President Bush said, on the eve of the If we had adopted the irrational poli- 2,500 American soldiers have now been killed American-led invasion, that we would cies of those who lack commitment to in the 3-year conflict. In Massachusetts alone, meet the threat before it became immi- winning this fight, the terrorist, al more than 35 families have mourned the loss nent, so that we would not have to Zarqawi, would still be alive and plot- of a loved one, killed in action in places like meet it later with armies of fire- ting attacks against Iraqis and Ameri- Ramadi, Fallujah and Najaf. And since Presi- fighters, police, doctors and others on cans. dent Bush declared an end to ‘‘major combat the streets of our own cities. Defeating repressive, radical terror- operations,’’ more than 17,000 troops have September 11 made it clear that we ists and their allies is our defining task been wounded in combat. could no longer afford to ignore mad- of the 21st century. Crushing their Every Member of Congress supports the he- men who threaten our peace and sta- deadly and poisonous ideology, freeing roic efforts of our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan bility. We can no longer let rogue re- from tyranny the millions threatened and around the globe. These brave men and gimes go unchecked and unchallenged. with its bondage, is an effort which the women in uniform, and their service to our And because of the combination of United States and her allies are country, should never be forgotten. We have modern technology and a murderous uniquely suited. the finest armed forces in the world and they ideology, we can no longer count on We are the primary target of radical represent the United States of America with vast oceans or our own military su- terrorists, and the leader of nations remarkable courage, honor and dignity. premacy to keep America safe. The with the capability and fortitude to During a recent memorial service for a enemy we must confront does not ac- wage a prolonged fight against these young soldier from western Massachusetts cept political negotiations or coexist- people. In my view, we must not shy who was killed in Iraq, a Marine Commander ence. The aims of our enemies are away, if only so our children and their paid tribute to our fallen service members by clear, to destroy anyone who stands for children may live in peace. saying: ‘‘we weep at their passing, honor their values, beliefs or political systems The American people are understand- service and cherish their memories.’’ I would which are contrary to their warped and ably concerned about our mission in a simply add that we are also grateful for the repressive ideology. post-Saddam Iraq. There have been enormous sacrifice they have made for our Their aims are to destroy the cause many tough days since Iraq’s libera- nation. of freedom and democracy itself. That tion and transition to a sovereign de- We are here today in this historic chamber is why retreat is not an option in Iraq. mocracy. Advancing freedom and to discuss the future of a war that has already As part of the global war on terror, the building democracies in a part of the taken so much from so many. A war that a stakes for the American people are too world that has known nothing but tyr- majority Americans now disapprove of. great. The action we took in Iraq was anny is a difficult task. But achieving In October 2002, when this institution first in the best interests of the American victory there and gaining a democratic debated authorizing the use of military force, I people and the world community. ally in the region will be the best gift raised a number of concerns about a pre- The events of 9/11 demonstrated that of security we can give to future gen- emptive war with Iraq including its cost, the we had to show our own resolve as the erations of Americans and Iraqi people lack of connection between Saddam Hussein world’s premier defender of freedom who have longed to rid themselves of and 9/11, and the fact that Iraq was not a and liberty before such ideals were tyranny and oppression. credible threat to the United States. I also be- preyed upon rather than after standing The world scoffed at Ronald Reagan lieved that a pre-emptive strike would act as witness to their demise at the hands of when he said, tear down this wall. They an effective recruiting tool for radical Islamic our enemies. said communism could never be re- fundamentalism worldwide. For these reasons,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11597 I was 1 of 133 House Members who against ministration accountable. It is simply aston- three principal objectives: (1) general support the Iraq war resolution. ishing that most of my Republican colleagues for American troops, (2) the Congress’s stated Unfortunately, as I stand on the floor of the have time and time again simply bent to the belief that the United States will win the war House, nearly 4 years later, many of these will of the Administration and allowed them- on terror, and (3) the encouragement of the concerns still exist. According to the non-par- selves to believe meaningless rhetoric without new permanent unity government in Iraq and tisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), asking tough questions. I urge my colleagues Prime Minister Nuri AI-Maliki to succeed, to- the war in Iraq has now cost the U.S. taxpayer on the other side to abandon their blind faith ward the ultimate goal of stabilizing Iraq and roughly $319 billion to date. That’s $6.4 billion in this Administration’s rhetoric and instead returning American troops back to the United a month and more than $100,000 per minute. demand accountability. For it is through infor- States. Like so many of my colleagues, I wish If you live in Massachusetts, $9 billion of your mation, recognition of errors, and the develop- this resolution said much more: I wish that the money has been spent in Iraq. And there is no ment of an honest plan that we will ultimately Rules Committee had allowed amendments to end in sight. ensure our success in Iraq. this legislation; I wish that a Democratic sub- I would point out to my colleagues that Misjudgments and miscalculations have led stitute had been allowed. But none of those former White House economic adviser Law- to a conflict that continues three years after things occurred. rence Lindsey lost his job for predicting that the President declared ‘‘mission accom- Try as they might, the spin doctors and the the war would cost a mere $200 billion. From plished.’’ History will judge the President and pundits on the other side of the aisle are trying the start, the Bush administration has not his cabinet for their performance. But, it is our to make this vote something which it is not— been straight with the American people about responsibility as members of Congress to call a vote indicating support for the war in Iraq. It the cost of the war in Iraq. And this partisan for a clear plan going forward. It is past time is most certainly not that, but is instead a polit- resolution does nothing to address that. that this Administration implement a strategy ical football that this Majority sees no problem In fact, the White House has not been to meet our mission and bring our troops kicking around. straight about most aspects of the war from home, and it is past time that this Congress I was not a member of Congress when ini- the existence of weapons of mass destruction demand it. tial authorization was given to this President to to the threat of the insurgency, and from Iraq’s Instead, this resolution supports a ‘‘stay the enter into this conflict; I neither support this purchase of yellow cake uranium to Saddam’s course’’ policy that has failed our troops and war nor President Bush’s handling—or, rather, ties to al-Qaeda. And with this resolution, failed our nation. We all want to see a safe his mishandling, of it. This mismanagement House Republicans will simply rubberstamp and democratic Iraq. However, the President’s has been evident practically from the conflict’s President Bush’s poor planning and mis- open-ended declaration to stay as long as it inception. management. I believe it is time for a new di- takes—a policy that this resolution defends— The very simple fact is that the vote today rection in Iraq. will not require the Iraqi government and the on H. Res. 861 and the surrounding cir- More importantly, so do many military lead- Iraqi people to make the tough choices that cumstances, are highly political, and not sub- ers. Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni, need to be made. That is why we must make stantive in nature. All those voting on this Army Major General Charles Swannack, Army clear that our military presence is contingent measure today know and understand that this General John Batiste, Marine Corps Lieuten- upon progress in the formation of a stable and is a vote scheduled by the Republican majority ant General Gregory Newbold and others functioning Iraqi government. We have to in Congress only to put Democrats into what have all expressed real concerns about our fu- make it clear that we expect the Iraqis to take Republicans perceive is a potentially difficult ture in Iraq. These are individuals who were responsibility for their government and for their political spot. While I did not take a vote to au- deeply involved in the planning and execution security. We will support them, but the time for thorize this war, it is my responsibility to work of the war. And they do not like what they see. a serious U.S. military presence is limited. To with my colleagues to deal with its aftermath— As General Zinni recently said, ‘‘we are pay- make that clear, we should begin to bring our something that is far more difficult. And I take ing the price for the lack of credible plan. Ten Reservists and National Guard home, and put that responsibility very seriously. years worth of planning were thrown away, in place a strategy to bring the rest of our American troops are in Iraq right now. In my troop levels dismissed out of hand . . . These young men and women out of Iraq as soon as view, the establishment of an arbitrary dead- were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policy possible. line for a pullout—whether it is tomorrow, a made back here.’’ My colleagues, today, we could have had month or a year from now—is irresponsible. Mr. Speaker, like most Americans, I believe the opportunity to discuss these important pol- Our military intervention has destabilized Iraq; it is time for a new course in Iraq. I believe we icy issues, demand answers, and work to- as a result, this Nation maintains a duty to sta- need to develop an honorable exit strategy. I gether to better define our objectives in Iraq bilize the situation before turning full control will vote against this resolution to give Presi- and our strategy for completing our mission. back over to the Iraqis. We must leave Iraq as dent Bush an open-ended commitment in Iraq. Instead, we are once again stuck in neutral— soon as possible, but we must do so respon- Let’s bring the troops back home. playing politics with resolutions about whether sibly. Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania. Mr. Republicans or Democrats support the troops Unfortunately, H. Res. 861 does nothing to- Speaker, I have great respect for my col- and whether Republicans or Democrats are ward ending the instability. It is emotive. It in- leagues here in the U.S. House of Represent- stronger against terrorism. Let’s be clear: we flames passions. It is red-meat election year atives. I respect them for their service and for all support the troops and we are all com- politics at its worst. their dedication to their constituents. However, mitted to fighting terrorism. That is not the As I have said throughout my time in Con- Mr. Speaker, I take offense that any member issue—the issue is the Bush Administration’s gress, Iraq will be, in the end, what Iraqis of this House would stand here and challenge failed policy in Iraq and how Congress—as a themselves will make of it. Congress and the the patriotism of a colleague—such a charge separate and independent branch of govern- administration need to press forward and con- is unworthy of this institution and the democ- ment—should demand accountability for their vert the well-intentioned but arbitrary deadlines racy we fight for every day. I refuse to allow failures and demand a real strategy to achieve for withdrawal of our troops into responsible, anyone on the other side, as they have done success and bring our troops home. We owe tangible plans that will serve to bring our today and have since this war in Iraq began, this to our constituents. We owe it to the brave troops home. We need to shunt aside the in- to question—whether directly or indirectly—my Americans serving this country overseas. And, flamed politics of the day—the politics that love of our country, my unwavering commit- we owe it to our great country and its legacy. leads the House to take a day and a half to ment to our troops, and my firm belief that we Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I thank you for consider a resolution that accomplishes noth- must do whatever necessary to defend the this opportunity to offer supplemental remarks ing—and begin a serious discussion about a citizens of the United States. to the remarks I entered into the RECORD yes- responsible date for withdrawal of American Mr. Speaker, I will oppose the resolution be- terday. I offer these supplemental remarks as troops from Iraq—a plan that builds upon the fore us today. And, I do so because I love this a continuation of my thoughts relative to the small but substantial positive steps we have country and who we are and what we stand debate held yesterday, Thursday, June 15 and seen in Iraq, such as the approval of a con- for. My reason for opposing this particular res- continuing into this morning, Friday, June 16. stitutional government, the holding of free olution comes down to one word—account- It is clear, Mr. Speaker, to anyone who elections and the institution of a democratic ability. At every level, the Republican majority reads the 730 words contained within the body government under the leadership of Prime here in Congress, has failed to hold this Ad- of H. Res. 861 that this resolution concerns Minister AI-Maliki.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11598 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 It is sad that June 15 to June 16, 2006, will The resolution today is not what the Repub- ists and civil societies around the world for be known more for slogans and empty elec- lican leadership had notified us of. I can only decades. But even as the terrorists plotted to tion-year rhetoric than for a realistic solution to hope that the next Iraq debate on House floor kill us, we had refused to engage them until a difficult problem. Sadder still is the majority’s takes place both soon and with greater sub- President Bush committed America to fighting steadfast commitment to inflaming the pas- stance. the global War on Terror. sions of the American populace for political Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, al- The global War on Terror isn’t just a strug- gain. I supported H. Res. 861 today, but I ea- though I am in opposition to the resolution, I gle against al Qaeda. It’s a war against a vio- gerly look forward to a day when the majority strongly support our men and women in uni- lent, evil ideology with which we can never overcomes its singular focus on politics and form who are fighting to protect our freedom. compromise or achieve an armistice. We can’t commences a serious discussion about how to These brave men and women have made, walk away from the fight and hope our enemy responsibly bring conclusion to our role in and continue to make, the ultimate sacrifice on goes away. Iraq. I look forward to the day when we can behalf of our great country. Approximately Any withdrawal—any retreat—in Iraq or set aside the rhetoric and meaningless non- 2,500 soldiers have given their lives for our elsewhere will be met with more attacks, more binding resolutions and focus on a responsible country in this war. Approximately 2,500 fami- bloodshed. Except that the blood could once and workable solution to the morass that the lies across America have been left devastated again run in our streets, in our neighborhoods. President and this administration have created by the loss of a loved one. Mothers and fa- We will learn history’s painful lessons at half a world away. thers have lost their cherished sons and last? That’s the choice this resolution poses Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD. Mr. Speaker, daughters, men and women have lost their today. I am deeply disappointed in the Republican spouses, children have lost parents. Their sac- Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition Congress’ unwillingness to focus on the truth rifices will forever be remembered. to H. Res. 861. The resolution declares that in Iraq. Calling today’s spectacle a true debate Our Government has spent more than $250 ‘‘the United States is committed to the comple- of ideas on Iraq does not pass the ‘‘straight billion on the war in Iraq, and that number is tion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, face test.’’ If House Republican leadership increasing at the rate of $177 million per day. secure and united Iraq.’’ That’s a big job. Ask choose to have a real debate on Iraq, Mem- However, just as we cannot put a dollar figure the British, who tried and failed to do this in bers of the House should be able to offer al- on the cost of lives and limbs our brave sol- the 20th century, what a big job it is. While ternatives and ideas. Instead, they have diers have lost, we also cannot put a dollar President Bush has said repeatedly that when blocked all alternatives by Democrats and for figure on the amount of pride that we as citi- the Iraqis stand up we will stand down, this 10 hours the American people are left with the zens have for them. While our soldiers fight resolution asserts that our troops will remain in same empty rhetoric they have been hearing and persevere because they, more than any- Iraq indefinitely. That is unfortunate. from the House Republicans on the floor for 3 one, realize what is at stake in Iraq, it is my A group of Republicans and Democrats tried years. sincere hope that we can bring them home to offer a more concrete and meaningful alter- My constituents in the 37th District want a soon and reunite them with their loved ones. native to this resolution, which would have strategy in Iraq. They want to know when our Mr. Speaker, although I am in opposition to substituted the essence of H.J. Res. 55 for H. brave young soldiers will return home to their this resolution, today, tomorrow, and as long Res. 861. This is in line with every benchmark families safely. Given this, I find it disingen- as our precious Republic shall exist, we set by President Bush. Unfortunately, we were uous for Republican leadership to talk tough should continue to honor our men and women not allowed to offer an amendment. about the war on terror when this debate is for their sacrifice, devotion, and continued de- Our approach is so reasonable that I believe supposed to be about American troops in Iraq. fense of our country. 75 percent of the American public would It was the Republican leadership who could God bless America and thank God for the strongly support it. Our amendment would not wait to divert resources from the war on sacrifices made by our brave men and women simply require the President to develop and terror to chase after Saddam Hussein in the in uniform. implement a plan for the withdrawal of U.S. first place. Many Democrats said this was a Mr. PEARCE. Mr. Speaker, all of history— Armed Forces from Iraq in a reasonable time dangerous path, and sadly, that is exactly and indeed, all of life—is a series of choices. frame. It does not give a specific date to com- where we find ourselves. International relations—and our national secu- plete a withdrawal. It does not say to be out Mr. Speaker, I support withdrawing our rity—are mostly about choices. in 30 days or else. It just says try to define an troops at a specific time and redeploying them The world chose to watch when Hitler pub- end point for the benefit of everybody. This is to the periphery of the arena. Redeploying our lished his blueprint for genocide in Mein exactly in line with what the President himself troops is the natural and timely evolution to Kampf. The world also chose to watch as Hit- has stated; it supports his statements. our mission in Iraq. But now is the time that ler took power on January 30, 1933; directing We are not taking a radical approach. It is we need to start the process and planning of the boycott of Jewish businesses and opening a very modest approach, a very mild ap- bringing our troops home. Our troops have the first concentration camp just 6 weeks later. proach. The reason that there was not a vote contributed to the building of a democracy, as- The world continued to stand by and watch on our amendment is that we would have sisted in training an Iraqi police and military as Hitler breached the Treaty of Versailles won. So this entire exercise is designed for force and overseen three elections as well as while denying Jews their fundamental rights politics. And men are dying. Women are the drafting of a national constitution. They through the Nuremberg Race Laws. dying! And we’re going broke—we spend $300 have accomplished a great deal. And we have Then, on September 30, 1938, British Prime million every single day in Iraq, at the same supported them throughout. Minister Neville Chamberlain hailed ‘‘peace for time programs here at home are being denied. I join the American people in their deep pa- our time’’ after appeasing Hitler in Munich. So we’re going to have a financial crisis, and triotism and love for our great land, and I join Thirty-four years later, a terrorist massacre we’ll have a political crisis. them in their solemn appreciation for the thou- at the 1972 Munich Olympics launched a new I I would like to see this effort taken out of sands of American families who have sac- era of appeasement. The world met the terror- the political realm and put it into the realm of rificed a son or daughter. ists’ murderous ambitions with an invitation to policy discussions. We need to look for real However, our troops have been in Iraq for the negotiating table. Within weeks of the Mu- solutions rather than just making political over 3 years. We knew that when we entered nich Massacre, the German government let statements. this conflict that our troops were not going to three jailed terrorists go to secure the release Mr. WALSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to re- be a permanent fixture in Iraq. This was the of a hijacked Lufthansa jet. iterate that now is not the time to bring our understanding Congress had with the adminis- When terrorism first came to American soil troops home from Iraq. Our soldiers have tration and the American people. The men and with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, done a valiant effort in fighting terrorism and women who have given their lives in liberating our government treated it as a police matter bringing a semblance of law and order to the Iraq have completed their mission and they rather than what it was: an act of war. Then chaos in the region and it would be short- have done so with valor. came the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996 sighted to lay out a specific timetable to bring Now it is time for the Iraqi people to rebuild and the U.S.S. Cole attack in 2000. America— U.S. troops home prematurely before their their communities and it is time for us to make and the world—chose to stand by and watch. mission is accomplished. Over the last 12 our communities whole again by bringing our 9/11 was the most visible manifestation of a months, enormous progress has been made in troops home. war that had been raging between the terror- training Iraqi security forces and already we

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11599 are seeing the fruits of our labors. Iraqi forces Iraqi people have formed a representative American soil less secure by our continued took the lead in election security and maintain- government. military presence there. In fact, sadly, our con- ing order during the December elections. In Yet, as we, the elected Representatives of tinued occupation has in fact increased the Southern Iraq control of the countryside is al- the American people, engage in this discus- number of terrorist operatives in Iraq. Mr. ready in the process of being transferred from sion more than 3 years after President Bush Speaker, with this result it is time to rethink Japanese and Australian peacekeepers to declared ‘‘mission accomplished’’: 2,500 brave our ‘‘help’’ to the Iraqi people. Iraqi security forces. Slowly but surely this ap- young Americans have died, over 18,300 have The Iraqi people should continue to receive proach of having Iraqi forces take the lead in been injured, and more than 10,000 Iraqis our continued assistance as they rebuild their patrolling the streets of their cities while the have suffered a similar fate. country, without our military occupation. U.S. military moves their troops to the perim- Our national treasury continues to be We should help them defend their borders eter is taking hold. As Iraqi forces continue to squandered—to date by over $300 billion, with against terrorist infiltration—if the need arises. stand up, American forces will stand down. over $9 billion of reconstruction funds squan- But, it is time for a change. Let’s stop the Congress needs to ensure that by our actions dered with no accounting. carnage. we don’t send a message to our Iraqi allies And no believable argument has been ad- It is time to bring our troops home. that the United States is lessening its resolve vanced that our continued military presence in Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to and going back on our commitment to achieve Iraq will make the American people more se- show support for the Out of Iraq Caucus and our strategy for victory in Iraq and defeat the cure against the very real threats that we face to add my voice to this much needed debate terrorist insurgents who are threatening this in the Global War on Terror. on the war in Iraq. victory. While the United States will continue Tragically, this House is now debating a Mr. Speaker, I voted against this war be- to face setbacks as we move forward with our non-binding resolution that is as short-sighted cause I thought it was a mistake from the be- mission to transfer authority over to the Iraqi and devoid of direction as the President’s pol- ginning. Iraq was not an imminent threat to people, we have to be firm in maintaining our icy in Iraq, that purposely confuses the Global our security, there were no weapons of mass resolve and finish what we started by achiev- War on Terror with the war in Iraq. And de- destruction, and it has never been a part of ing a lasting peace in Iraq. spite the crafty and artful wording of the reso- American foreign policy to preemptively invade Everyone agrees that our ultimate goal is to lution—these two efforts are not synonymous. another country in order to spread our will on establish a free, open and democratic Iraqi There is no connection between 9/11 and their citizens. government and bring our men and women in Saddam Hussein nor Saddam Hussein and But Mr. Speaker we are in Iraq now, the uniform home as soon as possible. Neverthe- Osama Bin Laden. President has committed our troops there and less, we have a responsibility to our troops to The President has admitted this, yet the Re- we now have an obligation to fix the mess that ensure that terrorism does not prevail in the publican Party in the House continues to sup- we’ve made over there. Middle East. Any Congressional agreement of port his failed policies in Iraq under the guise But how long do we stay the course when an arbitrary time table to bring our troops of fighting terror—consistently providing bil- the course that we have been on has not home before we have accomplished our mis- lions of off-budget funding, allowing waste, been a successful one. How long do we keep sion is unacceptable and could potentially in- fraud and abuse to go unchecked and failing our troops in a country where they are not crease the risk to our soldiers. I have con- to exercise even the semblance of oversight. treated as liberators, but are instead fueling fidence in our military leadership and in our Upon close reading, the Resolution contains the violence there just by their mere pres- troops that we will ultimately prevail in our war three different kinds of declarations. ence? on terror. I look forward to the day when we Some are irrelevant—because everyone be- The American people are starting to realize can transfer U.S. authority over to Iraq’s elect- lieves them to be true. that this war was a mistake. The reason for ed leaders and to a completed transition of Some are cynical—because they contain going to war was wrong, the planning for power and governance of Iraq. assertions that no one can reasonably believe. keeping the peace after the war was non- Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in And some are illusory—because they assert existent, and there does not seem to be any strong opposition to H. Res. 861. Republicans objectives that, based upon the ‘‘facts on the clear indication of what victory in Iraq looks aren’t interested in debating or discussing the ground in Iraq’’ we cannot reasonably expect like. merits or conduct of the War in Iraq; they only to achieve in the foreseeable future. This was a war of choice and the people of want to play politics with it. The American people and especially the Iraq are very suspicious about our motives for Republicans wrote this resolution. Demo- American troops deserve better than this. We being there. Many people in and out of Iraq crats were not consulted or allowed any input. all have unwavering pride for our troops—they believed America’s motivation for invading Iraq Republicans then rigged the process and out- are performing superbly. The quagmire that had more to do with its oil fields and strategic lawed any amendments, so that the only real Iraq has become is not the fault of the location in the Middle East, than with its sup- choice in voting was not yea or nay, but take troops—it is the failure of the President to plan posed weapons of mass destruction. it or leave it. for a transition to the peace. The American public also overwhelmingly There are serious issues we have to dis- As a member of the Out-of-Iraq Caucus, I believes this war was not worth the human or cuss that are being ignored. have co-sponsored and continue to support financial burden, and how can we blame The war in Iraq has cost our country $320 Representative MURTHA’s solution, House them? billion so far—money we have had to bor- Joint Resolution 73. At a time when our education system needs row—and it will no doubt cost hundreds of bil- It makes it clear to the Iraqi people that our vast improvement, our schools are deterio- lions more. It has cost the lives of 2,500 Nation renounces any claim to permanent rating, and our children are losing their edge American service men and women and more bases in their country. in the fields of math, science, and engineering, than 18,300 have been wounded. The needs It declares that we will bring our troops we are sending billions of taxpayer’s dollars of our veterans are being shortchanged. Some home at the earliest practicable date. overseas on a weekly basis. of our troops are on their fourth deployment And it provides a plan for peace. While we have sent close to a half a trillion since 2001. Our military readiness is affected Saddam Hussein is no longer the ruler of dollars over to Iraq, here at home many Amer- because we are wearing out both our equip- Iraq. icans still do not have the basic necessities ment and our troops. And House Republicans A reasonably democratic constitution has they need to live whole, fruitful lives. are still pretending that the war against terror been ratified. Millions of our citizens do not have somehow has to be fought in the same basic A democratic government has been elected. healthcare, and millions more are working way we fought in Korea and Vietnam. Now, the Iraqi people must forge their own overtime just to make ends meet. Sadly, many The American people deserve better than a future. Forging their own future is what 80 per- Americans are not feeling the great economic sham resolution and a staged debate. cent of Iraqis want—allowing them to do so boom that the Administration is trying so des- Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in op- would represent true freedom and democracy perately to tout. position to House Resolution 861. for Iraqis. Constituents in my districts are feeling the As Americans of good conscience, we can Now, this Congress is duty-bound to heed pinch in their pockets due to skyrocketing fuel find some comfort in the fact that Saddam the reasoned assessments of American mili- costs, an overpriced housing market, and debt Hussein is on trial for his crimes and that the tary commanders that we make both Iraqi and that will follow them to their graves.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11600 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 My constituents are starting to wonder, how gent bombings, ethnic battles, and mass ab- timeframe for redeployment of our troops. To can we continue to justify sending billions of ductions by rival Sunni and Shiite militias are date, more than 2,500 U.S. soldiers have dollars out of the country when they need bet- clear indications that our occupation has not been killed and 19,000 wounded in Iraq. Ex- ter services and resources here at home? provided for the conditions that Iraqis need to tended and multiple deployments have eroded How can we continue to ask our men and form an effectively functioning government. U.S. ground forces and overall military women in uniform to give their lives for a United States reconstruction and infrastruc- strength. A Pentagon-commissioned study re- cause that was built on deceptions and misin- ture investment has had little impact in 3 cently concluded that the Army cannot main- formation? years. Despite the billions of noncompetitive, tain its current pace of operations in Iraq with- Our national deficit is fast approaching $8 cost-plus contracts given to businesses friend- out doing permanent damage to the quality of trillion, I repeat $8 trillion, and yet Congress is ly to this administration, 54 percent of Iraqi the force. More than three years of continuous more concerned with enacting tax cuts for the households still lack access to clean water deployment of U.S. troops in Iraq has contrib- wealthy, while simultaneously spending billions and 85 percent lack reliable electricity. uted to serious problems with military recruit- in Iraq. The administration’s emphasis on unilateral ment, forcing the Army to lower the standards Mr. Speaker, something has to give. We action in this conflict has left America bearing for recruits, led to military equipment short- cannot continue on this path that we are cur- too much of a military and financial burden. If ages that hamper the ability of ground forces rently on. The resources of this country, as Iraq is going to be stabilized and move toward to do their jobs in Iraq, and undermine the great as they are, are being stretched too thin. a democracy, it will need a commitment and a ability of the U.S. National Guard to deal with Our forces, as mighty as they are, are being will far greater than what America itself can problems at home. stretched too thin for the long-term health of provide on its own. While I agree with concerns that publicly an- the country. Why haven’t we learned from the first gulf nouncing a timetable for withdrawal would put Mr. Speaker, for the sake of this great Na- war? In the 1991 gulf war, our coalition part- our troops at risk, I’m concerned that political tion, we need to set a new course. We need ners shouldered over 75 percent of the cost of parties and new governments are very much a new policy on Iraq and Congress needs to the war. We had over 100,000 Muslim troops like some people. If you undertake to do start focusing its attention on the problems fighting alongside a broad coalition of forces. something for a person, some individuals will facing our citizens here at home. We need to encourage our friends and allies stand back and let you continue—and never I urge all of my colleagues to support the around the globe to help with Iraqi reconstruc- step up to the plate to do for themselves. Murtha Resolution, which establishes a time tion and peacekeeping. We just don’t have We have saved the Iraqi people from line for a responsible troop redeployment and sufficient resources to manage this work on Sadaam Hussein, but we cannot save the our own. allows Iraqis to stand up and take responsi- Iraqi people from the Iraqi people—if they are If we can bring the international community bility for the course of their own nation. not able and willing to fashion a political solu- into Iraq to help establish a democracy, pro- As long as we are there doing the job that tion and bring the Iraqi people together. We tect its citizens, and rebuild its infrastructure, it Iraqis should be doing for themselves we can- must encourage the new Iraqi government and will free American forces and resources to the not expect them to stand up and take control give them strong incentive to assume respon- real problem we face: terrorism. sibility and stand on their own. of their own country. Let’s heed the advice of our colleague JOHN Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, GEN Anthony Our fighting men and women have served MURTHA and redeploy our troops to find bravely. We must commit ourselves to an out- Zinni and other retired generals have been Osama bin Laden and fight terrorists. If we outspoken in their opposition to the planning come in Iraq that honors their sacrifices. can shatter the myth that occupying Iraq is the Mr. ROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in oppo- and execution of our occupation of Iraq. The same thing as fighting terrorism, then these 10 sition to the resolution, which inaccurately de- administration rejected their sound rec- hours of debate will have been worth some- scribes the war in Iraq as part of the Global ommendations, which predicted exactly what thing after all. War on Terror. While I strongly and proudly would happen if we didn’t plan for the occupa- Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise support our courageous and dedicated troops, tion. today to share my comments and concerns re- coalition partners, and the Iraqi Security These generals explain that our forces were garding H. Res. 861. While this resolution is Forces who put their lives on the line each not provided enough resources to do the job, purely symbolic and does not have the force and every day to fight for a democratic, stable that we alienated allies that could have helped of law, I am voting for it, as I agree with the and secure Iraq, I cannot support a resolution in rebuilding Iraq, and that the Defense De- majority of the sentiments it expresses. In that does not paint an accurate picture of what partment ignored planning for the post-war oc- 2003, I voted for the use of force resolution, the true situation on the ground is in Iraq. cupation, unaware of the growing Insurgency. based upon what we later learned was flawed It is imperative that we acknowledge these I have heard from too many military families intelligence about the existence of weapons of realities: since we invaded Iraq in March 2003, whose children have been wounded or killed mass destruction in Iraq. While I am glad that more than 2,500 American service men and in duty. Their grief is so much harder to bear Saddam Hussein was removed from power women have been killed in Iraq; 18,000 have knowing that we did not adequately equip their and has been captured, and I hope that the been wounded. More than 100,000 innocent sons and daughters in battle. new Iraqi government is successful, the U.S. Iraqi civilians have lost their lives. Nearly $350 I have met many times with Lila Lipscomb, must move toward a new policy in Iraq. billion of U.S. taxpayer dollars have been a proud mother from Flint, Michigan, who lost As I stated in a letter to President Bush last spent. Terrorist leader al-Zarqawi has been her son Michael in Iraq. Initially, Lila supported month, the time has come for the United killed and Saddam Hussein is in prison, but the war on the assumption that the govern- States to give the Iraqis strong incentive to the pacification and reconstruction of Iraq ment knew best. A week after finding out her stand on their own feet and take control of have been a failure. Every single fact that the son had died, Lila received a letter from her their own affairs. I acknowledge this will be a President has offered to justify both the inva- son in which he forcefully argued that we challenge, as there is a persistent and strong sion of and the sustained U.S. military pres- should not be in Iraq because there was no insurgency, which continues to kill Iraqis every ence in Iraq has proven to be wrong. The connection between Iraq and Osama bin day. Therefore, they must speed up the proc- President said that the war would be short- Laden. ess of training Iraqi security forces that are lived, aided by our allies, paid for by Iraqi oil, lost her son Casey in Iraq willing and capable of defending their country. welcomed by the Iraqi people, and would re- and became a voice for mothers of soldiers There are many former members of the Iraqi sult in a reconstructed Iraq with an improved who oppose the war. Cindy’s loss motivated Army who are still unemployed. The United quality of life for its citizens. His strategy in her to unite with other grieving mothers in op- States and the administration need to send a Iraq is not working and, as we have seen so position to the war. Her willingness to speak clear message to the Iraqis that we will not many times, he and his administration are in- truth to power has drawn attention to the mis- have a permanent military presence in Iraq. capable of admitting mistakes—even when conduct of the war and the terrible price that Taking this step will motivate Iraqis to take those mistakes are irrefutable. servicemen and women and their families charge of their own affairs and create incen- This war has exhausted our military, hurt have paid. tives for involvement from regional players and our war on terrorism, damaged our country’s We have endured strategic missteps and the international community. credibility internationally, and strained our now find ourselves with insufficient troop lev- Additionally, we need to begin private dis- economy. I strongly believe that the Presi- els to provide adequate safety in Iraq. Insur- cussions with the leaders in Iraq regarding a dent’s current ‘‘stay the course’’ plan in Iraq is

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11601 not working. We need a new strategy. We A terrorist that is constantly on the move to And now that the light of freedom is shining need to take our troops out of Iraq. survive does not have time to plan or conduct into the darkness that was Iraq, many criticize I strongly disagree with the assertion in this major operations. the Iraqi people for needing time for their eyes resolution that our continuing presence in Iraq We have and continue to work with the to adjust to the light. When did we become is a vital part of fighting our war on terrorism. international community to diminish the under- this arrogant? At what point did seeing over After all, the attacks on our troops in Iraq are lying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit. 70 percent of Iraqi citizens risk their lives to not coming primarily from al-Qaeda. There are It is in our best interest to continue focusing participate in electing a free and democratic only approximately 1,000 al-Qaeda amidst the on resources and efforts towards at-risk re- government not be good enough for us? 26 million people of Iraq. The attacks on US. gions to prevent the emergence or the re- It would be uninformed to characterize our troops are planned by an insurgency that is emergence of terrorists. nation’s early history as a smooth transition. comprised of native Iraqis. Once the American The United States Government, through our Sectarian division, violence, and human rights soldiers leave, we will remove the stimulus for dedicated public servants, courageous men abuses were prevalent in the early United the local Iraqi and worldwide incitement and women in uniform, and attentive intel- States. I would submit that our adversaries against America as an ‘‘occupier.’’ We can ligence officers are protecting the United aren’t ignorant of this. They understand that continue to assist the Iraqi people in strength- States, our citizens, and our national interests the work of forming a stable democracy can- ening their fledgling democracy, but we must at home and abroad—24 hours a day, 7 days not be accomplished in three and one half remove the provocation of an American mili- a week, 365 days a year. years. They are smart enough to recognize tary presence and instead, reinvest our re- Today, American values, liberty, and lives the monumental successes that have been sources in strengthening U.S. border and port are still at stake. While we engage the enemy achieved by the Iraqi people and our extraor- security, defeating al-Qaeda in Afghanistan on foreign soil, we are also simultaneously es- dinary men and women in uniform in the face and elsewhere, and rebuilding our much-de- tablishing homeland defenses, and extending of immense challenges. And they are deter- pleted U.S. military. such defenses to identify and neutralize any mined to use the most horrific tactics to stop For this reason, I urge my colleagues to op- emerging threats as early as possible. the spread of freedom. pose the resolution and instead, support a The American public is one of the world’s Their opposition is a strategy of oppression new plan in Iraq that will bring our troops most informed societies—the American people and we must stand united to make sure it home. understand that the threat against our Nation does not succeed. I would hope that every so Mr. SHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sup- and values are real and imminent. often, the debate on this floor can be about port of House Resolution 861, a resolution de- And to mischaracterize the American peo- more than temporary politics. I would hope claring that the United States will prevail in the ple’s support for the global war and the men that every once in a while, we can ask our- Global War on Terror, the struggle to protect and women in uniform fighting at the front selves the hard questions and come together freedom from terrorist adversaries. lines of this war is unpatriotic and disingen- to find good answers to the problems not only This is a critical time in American and world uous. U.S. forces will withdraw from Iraq as in this country, but the problems facing the history. Only 5 years have passed since the al soon as the mission is successfully accom- world. Qaeda network attacked us on our homeland. plished. Success will be achieved when there We have risen to the challenge before. On Over 3,000 people died on September 11, is a free Iraq in which Iraqis themselves are June 9, 1944, shortly after the beginning of 2001, and the world as we knew it changed sponsors of their own liberty and security. The the D–Day invasion, the following appeared in instantly. criteria for withdrawing Coalition forces from : ‘‘There is a noise of Our principal terrorist enemies seek to es- Iraq are conditions based, not calendar based. wrangling on Capitol Hill which has a discord- tablish regimes that rule according to a violent For America will remain the land of the free, ant, ugly sound today. There is a jostling and intolerant distortion of Islam. As illustrated home of the brave as long as Americans are among us for preferences which is incon- by Taliban-rules Afghanistan, such regimes willing to fight for the principles of freedom gruous in comparison with the unity among would deny all political and religious freedoms and democracy. those safeguarding us oversees. Like them, and serve as sanctuaries for violent extremists I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. we need to remember now how much unites to launch additional attacks—not only against 861. us, and again draw together.’’ the United States and its partners but the Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to These words are just as relevant and com- Muslim world itself. associate myself with the comments of the manding today as they were 62 years ago. The enemy uses suicide bombings, behead- ranking member of the Committee on Armed The question we must answer is still the same ings, and other atrocities against innocents as Services, Mr. IKE SKELTON. Had I not been as it was then: do all men and women de- a means to achieve their dark vision. Their called away to perform a funeral, I, like him, serve to be free? If our answer is yes, then demonstrated indifference to human life and would have voted against this resolution, or, what is our responsibility toward that goal? I desire to inflict catastrophic damage on the may have even walked out to protest this was taught that to whom much is given, much United States and its partners around the mockery in the People’s House. is expected. In this nation we have been given world has fueled their pursuit of and intent to Mr. CHOCOLA. Mr. Speaker, today we de- a great gift of freedom. Will we now fail to re- use WMD. bate an issue whose importance reaches far- member what unites us and deny our hand of We cannot permit the world’s most dan- ther than the citizens that live within the assistance to those that seek the same gift we gerous terrorists and their regime sponsors to boundaries of our individual congressional dis- are so fortunate to enjoy? threaten us with the world’s most destructive tricts—it touches citizens all over the world. Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased weapons. Frankly, it is easy for us in this legislative to join my colleagues on the Armed Services Our national strategy is to stop terrorist at- body to praise or criticize our efforts in Iraq. It Committee to have a frank discussion about tacks against the United States, our citizens, is easy for us to come to this floor and talk the Iraq war. We need to make hard choices our interests, and our friends and allies around about the violence in Iraq and the difficulties in to ensure that our presence in Iraq does not the world. forming a free, safe and secure government, do long-term damage to our military or endan- We have and continue to defeat terrorists by then return to our offices and send out press ger the men and women who proudly defend attacking their established infrastructure, such releases. our Nation. However, this resolution doesn’t as safe havens, management, power, and in- It is easy because none of us have had to address any of those questions nor does it frastructure. This disruption will naturally force serve in a government that is breathing free provide answers for a Nation that demands the terrorists to disperse and decentralize, air for the first time. None of us have had to them. Instead, Republicans have given us thereby removing their global influence. form a government under intense international more of the same. We have and continue to deny terrorists pressure to include members of all viewpoints In October 2002, I voted against the resolu- support. Separating terrorists from their spon- to avoid sectarian violence. None of us have tion authorizing the use of force against Iraq, sors and support will deny availability of crit- had to hold elections under the threat of ter- but since then, I have supported every supple- ical assets needed to plan, train for, and con- rorism and destruction. We have not lived mental appropriations measure to fund our duct operations. Denying sanctuary will pre- under the oppression of a tyrant, nor have we troops because it is Congress’s responsibility vent the terrorists from having the opportunity had to fear that speaking our minds could lead to give them the resources needed to accom- to reorganize and reestablish a global threat. to our execution or the execution of our family. plish their mission. It is precisely that support

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00067 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11602 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 for the troops that motivates me to point out military in Iraq as we approach the fourth anni- President did not provide the heavy armor how we may do irreparable harm to our mili- versary of the congressional authorization to needed for our troops and equipment. The tary if we do not alter our mission in Iraq use force in Iraq. Congress should take seri- President did not plan for an insurgency. Fi- quickly. Our men and women in uniform have ously its obligation to oversee our military. nally, the President invaded Iraq and then at- performed admirably in difficult conditions—in The majority has given us one option with tempted to reconstruct Iraq without seeking many cases adapting quickly to missions out- this resolution, which is to make a political any significant assistance from the inter- side their traditional roles, such as policing statement in support of President Bush. The national community. and reconstruction. However, the current pace House leadership has refused to allow amend- We have paid a heavy price. More than of operations is untenable, and we are seeing ments to this resolution. It is interesting that 2,500 American soldiers are dead. More than evidence of the impact it is having on our mili- we are committed to building democratic insti- 18,000 American soldiers have been injured. tary. tutions in Iraq but we are not willing to let the We have spent over $300 billion to date on Our troops have faced numerous deploy- Members of Congress vote on alternative poli- the Iraq war and reconstruction. ments to the area, with the National Guard cies in Iraq. Our men and women in uniform Mr. Speaker, in December 2004 I visited and Reserve in particular demand because of that are putting their lives on the line every Iraq as part of a Congressional delegation. I their expertise in needed skills such as polic- day deserve the full attention of Congress. wanted to see the situation on the ground in ing, civil affairs, and engineering. Nearly Mr. Speaker, we all agree with those parts Iraq firsthand. It is an experience that I will not 500,000 members of the Selected Reserves of the resolution that: honor Americans who soon forget. I thanked our troops for their have been mobilized since September 11, with have taken part in the global war on terror, in- service, including troops from Maryland and more than 10,000 members having been de- cluding our first responders, diplomats, mili- from our Maryland Guard and Maryland Re- ployed more than three times. We are spend- tary, and intelligence officers; honor the sac- serve. Our troops have performed with honor ing more and more money in an attempt to rifices of American, Iraqi, and Afghan military and distinction and have done everything that meet recruiting and retention goals in the ac- forces, and the families of those troops; con- we have asked of them. Our troops deserve to tive military and reserve components, and we gratulate the Iraqi people for holding free and come home to their families and a grateful na- are nevertheless starting to see increasingly fair elections, under a new democratic con- tion. more mid-level officers exiting the force—a stitution; supports the efforts of the Iraqi and Yet the President still says that we must dangerous sign for the future health of the Afghan people to live in freedom; and declares stay the course. We need to immediately military. that the United States will prevail in the global change course in Iraq, which must include the Furthermore, the harsh desert conditions in war on terror. drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq. We cur- Iraq—coupled with the high operational We should be debating whether or not and rently have approximately 130,000 troops in tempo—have taken their toll on our equip- how to withdrawal or redeploy United States Iraq, roughly 20 percent of which are Guard ment, which is wearing out at twice to nine Armed Forces from Iraq, and members should and Reserve troops. Military experts have rec- times the normal rate. The National Guard has be permitted to offer amendments to this reso- ommended a drawdown of at least 10,000 only one-third of its equipment on hand, which lution. We should not simply be asked to ‘‘stay troops a month. It is not necessary for us to weakens our ability to respond to a natural the course.’’ Congress must reclaim its over- announce a specific timeline for the withdrawal disaster or other major event on U.S. soil. De- sight responsibility and ask serious questions of our troops. It is reasonable to expect, how- spite the billions we have provided in supple- about the Iraq war and reconstruction effort. ever, that one-half of our combat troops mental appropriations, it will take years and I am convinced that we must change should come home by the end of 2006, and tens of billions more dollars to restore our course. The repositioning of our troops would that all of our combat troops should come forces to appropriate levels. help us to regain the focus on the war on ter- home by the end of 2007. General Barry McCaffrey recently traveled ror. We should make sure that our National to Iraq and Afghanistan to assess U.S. oper- The President came to Congress in October Guard are the first to come home, as they ations there. Upon his return, he briefed the 2002 and asked Congress to authorize force were never intended to be used as the pri- Armed Services Committee on his findings against Iraq. I voted against giving the Presi- mary military force for overseas conflicts. Our and gave us a very frank assessment. He has dent this authority, and parted ways with most Guard units should be made available for local stated that we should know by the end of the of my colleagues in Congress. This was not a needs. year whether the new Iraqi government will be The drawdown of American troops from Iraq effective in controlling the insurgency. He has popular vote at the time, but it was the right back home will allow us to achieve certain also claimed that we cannot sustain our cur- vote. I was proud of my vote then as I am necessary objectives. First, we will bring our rent level of operations beyond Christmas now. I have remained an outspoken critic of troops home to their families, and take them without breaking our military and endangering out of the middle of a civil war. Our soldiers our ability to fight future missions. In other President Bush’s policies in Iraq. There was words, we are quite possibly six months away no connection between the events of 9/11 and should not be used as police officers. Second, from a point of no return that could have long- the Saddam Hussein regime. The Bush Ad- we will send an important message to the Iraqi ranging effects on our military and the stability ministration distorted and misused intelligence government to take responsibility. U.S. troops of the Middle East. information about Saddam Hussein’s actual cannot remain in Iraq indefinitely. Third, we So what is our strategy to prevent the worst- WMD capacity. Saddam Hussein did not have will remove a powerful propaganda and re- case scenario from occurring? Where is the nuclear weapons, and did not pose an immi- cruitment tool for Al Qaeda that the United accountability? Where is the Congressional nent threat to the United States. States is an occupation force. Fourth, we oversight? I’ll tell you one thing—they’re not in During our debate in 2002, I stated on the would be able to stage our troops outside of the resolution we’re debating today. The Re- House floor that I had ‘‘grave concerns’’ about Iraq to work with our allies and the inter- publican leadership promised a debate on Iraq a unilateral, pre-emptive military attack by the national community to fight the war against but then refused to consider any alternatives United States which could ‘‘endanger our glob- international terrorism. The repositioning of our to their own bill, preferring to embrace the sta- al coalition against terrorism.’’ I also stated troops would help us to regain the focus we tus quo and ignore the very difficult decisions that ‘‘we cannot overlook the massive cost have lost on the war on terror. Finally, bringing this Congress needs to make. We deserve and effort that the United States would have to our troops home would help us preserve the better. Our brave men and women in uniform undertake in a post-Saddam regime.’’ Finally, strength of our all-volunteer military by improv- deserve better. The American people deserve I stated that ‘‘the United States will need the ing troop morale and boosting our efforts to better. help of its allies as it attempts to transition Iraq improve recruitment of new soldiers. Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, it is right for from a dictatorship to a democracy.’’ I regret The United States should convene an inter- Congress to ask the President to implement a to say that I was correct on all these counts. national conference on Iraq which would in- plan to start bringing our troops home from The President prematurely disbanded the clude the government of Iraq. As the sole re- Iraq. That would be the right message to send Iraqi security forces. After overthrowing Sad- maining superpower, the United States needs to the Iraqis: they must assume the responsi- dam, the President protected the oil ministries, to mend diplomatic fences. Such a conference bility for security of their own country. but not the weapons and ammunitions depots, should achieve three primary goals. First, it Congress needs to have a real and mean- which were looted by insurgents and are now should produce a verifiable cease-fire. Sec- ingful debate on the future role of the U.S. being used to attack American forces. The ond, it would establish a mechanism for the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00068 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11603 completion of the training of Iraqi security attacking generals who served on the ground But even beyond the duty and mission forces. Finally, it would coordinate all inter- in Iraq will not achieve success in Iraq, nor charged to them, many of our troops are vol- national humanitarian and reconstruction as- bring us one step closer to bringing our troops unteering to help out at orphanages and day sistance to the new Iraqi government. home. cares in Iraq. We should be encouraged by Finally, we must honor our commitment to The administration needs to wake up and the commitment and compassion that these our military and veterans’ families, which will stop taking the American people for a spin. soldiers show to the comprehensive task of strengthen our recruitment efforts for new Public confidence in this administration’s restoration in Iraq. troops. Our volunteer military is in danger. The handling of Iraq has plummeted because the Congress must continue to support the unity morale of our troops is suffering due to longer American people have seen through the rhet- government of Iraq as it rebuilds its country. tours of duties and budgets that have not fully oric to see the reality on the ground in Iraq. Like the generations before them, fighting funded veterans’ benefits, particularly in meet- No amount of publicity stunts and political Nazis and Communists, United States ing their health care needs. posturing can change that. warfighters are today doing a duty for which Our recruitment efforts have fallen short in More of the same from the administration we can never repay them. I express my undy- the military, as both the Army National Guard will not make our country any safer from ter- ing appreciation for their commitment and their and Army Reserve have only met roughly 80% rorists than we were on September 11, 2001. sacrifice. of their recruiting goals. A poll conducted by Foreign Policy magazine One of the priorities in assisting the Iraqi The answer is the proper deployment of our of our Nation’s top 100 foreign policy minds, people is establishing an independent, self- troops, and the full funding of our veterans’ liberal and conservative alike, found that 84 sufficient Iraqi Security Force. Here our benefits, particularly their health care needs. percent did not believe that the U.S. was win- progress has been astounding. Today, there These benefits are particularly relevant consid- ning the war on terror. Sharing that view was are over 264,600 trained and equipped mem- ering we have 18,000 wounded veterans so 71 percent of conservatives. bers of the Iraqi Security Force. The ISF is far as a result of the Iraq war. We must also The status quo is not acceptable. We need conducting 84 percent of company-level oper- bear in mind that estimates indicate that a change. The administration needs to take ations independently or along side coalition 50,000 war veterans will experience battle fa- the ideological blinders off and acknowledge forces. This will give Iraq the ability to defend tigue and post traumatic stress disorder, the reality of the facts on the ground. itself and participate as allies in the Global PTSD, and will require extensive treatment As GEN John Abizaid and Ambassador War on Terror. and rehabilitation. Khalilzad have stated, the reality is that civil On the urgency of the Global War on Terror, Mr. Speaker, I call on the President to im- war is now a greater threat than insurgency. there is no debate. And it would be irrespon- mediately change course in Iraq, including the Because of the regional destabilization that sible for this Congress to deny the fact that implementation of a plan to start bringing our could follow, I do not believe we can pull out Iraq is a front in that war or to abandon our troops home from Iraq. of Iraq precipitously. But I cannot support let- efforts there. Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speak- ting Iraq become an open-ended commitment The fierceness of the foreign-led insurgency er, the last two days the House has debated without limit or end. that was drawn to Iraq after the collapse of for over 10 hours a politically motivated reso- So instead of occupying themselves with Saddam Hussein’s regime is evidence that the lution on Iraq. Not one word in this resolution defending their mistakes of the past, the ad- presence of democracy in Iraq and the United will do anything to bring us one step closer to ministration should focus instead on achieving States aggressive pursuit of the roots of terror success in Iraq, or one day closer to bringing real measurable progress on the ground in abroad are deadly threats to al-Qaida and oth- our troops home. Iraq so our troops can begin to come home. ers across the globe. We are fighting this ty- This resolution is not about the troops. Miss MCMORRIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today rannical and ruthless enemy precisely where If it were, this resolution would actually do to stress the importance of our country’s role we should be—thousands of miles away from something to hold accountable those respon- in the Global War on Terror and to observe American families and American soil. To think sible for the manipulation of pre-war intel- the heroic, enduring efforts of our men and that terrorists would confine their attacks to ligence, the poor planning, the incompetence, women in uniform who are working to secure Iraq’s borders is to not recognize the reality of and the mismanagement that has brought us freedom and democracy for the people of Iraq. the threats we face. to this point in Iraq. This resolution does noth- In January, I stood with the Eastern Wash- We must not abandon the people of Iraq. ing to give our troops a real plan that charts ington families and colleagues of nearly 100 We must not neglect an opportunity to strike a path toward victory and home. airmen from Fairchild Air Force Base and said lethal blows to the Islamic extremist network. Instead what we have is another attempt at goodbye as they were deployed to Iraq for 4 We must assist the Iraqi people in establishing re-writing history to buck up fading support for months. In April, I had the opportunity to travel a free, stable and secure nation and not give this administration’s failed status quo policies. to Iraq and visit with these members of the up until then. The security of our country and As even Secretary Condoleezza Rice has 92nd Air Refueling Wing and the 141st Air Na- our families depend on it. acknowledged, the administration has made tional Guard Medical Squadron. And in May, I Mr. BARTON of Texas. I rise today in sup- mistake after mistake when it comes to Iraq. was privileged to welcome them back to East- port of H. Res. 861 and our efforts in Iraq. De- It is the military that has saved them, even as ern Washington with gratitude for their work mocracy’s biggest strength is also its biggest civilian policymakers have scorned and on behalf of our Nation and in pursuit of free- weakness. Democracy is the strongest form of marginalized senior combat generals who dom and democracy in Iraq. government when the people and allied gov- have criticized them. Troops based at Eastern Washington have ernments are united in a common goal. Be- Last week’s elimination of al-Zarqawi was a long played a central role in the Global War cause the United States worked hand-in-hand reminder of the skill and determination of our on Terror. In Iraq, they assisted in the rebuild- with Europe, we were able to defeat fascism men and women in uniform. It is our troops ing of airfields and other crucial infrastructure in World War II and the totalitarian threat of and their families who have borne the brunt of projects. In April 2004, a crew deployed from Hitler and imperial Japan. sacrifice in this war, and they continue to per- Fairchild delivered the one-billionth pound of Conversely, democracy’s weakness arises severe despite the failures of this administra- jet fuel in the Iraqi theater from a KC–135 to when the people do not wholeheartedly be- tion. an F–16CJ Fighting Falcon from the 555th lieve in the cause. For example, Vietnam in- For the past 12 years, I have voted for Fighter Squadron. cluded a hazy mission and the drafting of un- every bill that supports our troops and honors Much deserved attention is given to the willing participants. Policy was diverted due to the sacrifices they and their families make in combat efforts of our troops serving alongside powerful public opinion. defending our Nation. For every year of this Iraqi Defense Forces to protect the fragile but We are not in Iraq and Afghanistan today war, I have voted for every appropriations bill promising unity government and the Iraqi peo- because the President seeks for us to be. We funding our troops, fighting to provide them ple whom it represents. Yet I would draw at- are there because the public was outraged with the bulletproof vests and up-armored tention also to the remarkable accomplish- after the attacks of September 11, and rightly Humvees that they were sent into Iraq without. ments of service men and women who are so. We were deliberately attacked by a ter- But the administration needs to understand rapidly restoring the infrastructure—roads, air- rorist regime seeking to cripple the United that more of the same P.R., rosier rhetoric, ports, and utilities—that is critical to Iraq sus- States. It was the dramatic escalation of dec- better stagecraft at another rally, or viciously taining itself. ades of terrorist attacks. We felt these attacks

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00069 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11604 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 deeply in our financial center of New York, at in Iraq, including the establishment of a na- its requirement in 2001. The missing equip- the Pentagon, and were almost hit at the heart tional unity government, but also recognizes ment has been left in Iraq or transferred to of our Government, the Capitol building, were that more progress is needed, and that the units deploying to Iraq. The Army National it not for the brave passengers of Flight 93. Iraqis must meet their own deadline for modi- Guard has been directed to transfer more than But as a nation, we chose to not lie dormant fications to their new constitution. 75,000 pieces of equipment valued at $1.76 anymore. We chose to show the resolve of As it is, the debate has been tightly con- billion to the Army to support operations in America and defeat the enemy of terrorist re- trolled, and our only choice is to vote up or Iraq. There is no plan to replace these items. gimes and the countries that harbor them. I down on a status quo resolution that doesn’t No matter how each Member chooses to support the policy of not giving in to totali- focus on Iraq and that doesn’t reflect reality on vote today, there’s no question that we all tarianism or terrorist threats. And I support the the ground. honor and support our troops. But I would military if force becomes the necessary meth- If this were a real debate on Iraq, it would argue that if we really cared for our troops, we od of resolution. Progress is being made in be about where we are versus where we would make sure they had the equipment and Iraq, and our troops will be successful in sup- thought we’d be, and where we should go training they need. We wouldn’t make it less porting this new democratic government. We from here. Just last year, Congress called for possible for them to meet some future mis- are not propping up a dictatorial regime; we 2006 to be a year of transition in Iraq that sion. No one wants a new mission for our are working to help democracy take hold in would allow U.S. forces to begin to redeploy. troops, but if we had to fight somewhere else, the Middle East. And our efforts are paying But we’re into the middle of June, and we are we wouldn’t have the equipment or forces to off. actually adding troops. do it. These are the things that we should have The idea that all people desire to be free is A real debate would begin by recognizing been debating, not the ‘‘feel good’’ messages a powerful one. This idea is our single biggest that Iraq is a distinct issue, ouly part of the included in the Republican resolution. We all weapon, and will ultimately bring success to ‘‘global war on terror’’ insofar as the security want to feel good about Iraq and believe that vacuum in Iraq has attracted terrorists. But as this fight. The government that allows its citi- progress is possible. But we can’t want the gentleman from Missouri, Mr. SKELTON, zens to steer their own course is undeniably progress so much that we blind ourselves to has said—Iraq is a separate conflict, an insur- stronger and more peaceful. I believe our the reality on the ground. troops are making incredible progress and so gency with terrorist elements and sectarian vi- Of course, it’s hard to know reality on the are the people in Iraq who are working for an olence. ground if Congress does no oversight. Con- inclusive, stable government. I remain com- A real debate would have been honest gress has a fundamental responsibility to re- mitted to supporting all of their good works. about how continuous deployment in Iraq view how the money it appropriates is being Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise hurts our military personnel and their families, spent and to ask tough questions. The Repub- in reluctant opposition to this resolution. strains recruiting and retention, and damages lican majority would have us believe that ask- I say reluctant opposition—because I agree readiness. ing questions makes us unpatriotic. with much of what this resolution says. A real debate would have looked at the But that’s just wrong. We abrogate our re- I support its statements about honoring the human cost. We are losing one battalion every sponsibility to the American people if we shut sacrifices of our troops and their families. month of killed or wounded soldiers. Just yes- our eyes to how their tax dollars are being There’s no question that our military is the terday the military reported that we’ve hit a spent. most professional fighting force in the world, tragic milestone. A total of 2500 American The Republican leadership seems unable to and we are all grateful to our men and women men and women have lost their lives in Iraq. come up with anything other than the same in uniform for putting their lives on the line for More than 18,000 have been wounded. At- old tired lines. They will all toe the Administra- our country. tacks on U.S. forces are now at their highest tion line when they vote today, but we all I support the resolution’s statements con- rate ever—900 a month. know that even Republicans are having gratulating the new prime minister upon form- A real debate would have looked at the fi- doubts as to the wisdom of the President’s di- ing his government and the Iraqi people for nancial cost. We are mortgaging our future rection in Iraq. their courage in participating in elections, and and the future of our children. So far Congress Mr. Speaker, we were led into war as a di- calling on the nations of the world to work to- has appropriated $320 billion for Iraq alone, a vided nation and today we are even more di- gether for global peace. war that was supposed to pay for itself vided. A successful withdrawal from Iraq can I even agree with the statement that we through proceeds from the sale of Iraqi oil, only happen if Congress and the Bush Admin- should not set an arbitrary date for the rede- and the ‘‘bum rate’’ is now up to $8 billion per istration work to bring unity at home. ployment of our troops. month. That’s $2 billion every week, or $286 This resolution doesn’t bring us together, I opposed the Iraq war resolution, but I have million every single day. Mr. Speaker, and I regret that the Republican resisted supporting an artificial deadline for And if we were really concerned about the leadership continues to seek to divide this withdrawing troops. I believe that how we with- well-being of our troops, we would be talking House. But that is the course they have cho- draw is as important as when we withdraw. about the fact that every one of the Army’s sen, and so they have left me no choice but This means giving the Iraqis time to get their available active duty combat brigades has to reluctantly oppose this resolution today. Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina. Mr. Speak- newly installed permanent government up and served at least one 12-month tour in Iraq or er, I rise today to honor the brave soldiers running and establish the means for inter- Afghanistan, 40 percent of the National Guard who have sacrificed so much to ensure our and Reserves has been mobilized since Sep- national support. We must exercise deep care Nation’s freedom. in the way our country withdraws because tember 11th, and nearly half of those mobi- I am extremely proud of all of Western leaving a failed state in Iraq will deeply endan- lized have been deployed two or more times. North Carolina’s brave men and women, in- ger our country. We need to consider that the readiness of cluding the 210th and 211th Military Police But I profoundly disagree with the overall Army units here in the U.S. is at the lowest Units, who have fought courageously to estab- tone of the resolution and disagree even more level since the late 1970s. lish a united, free, and sovereign Iraq. with the way this debate was conducted. We would also have considered what it The sacrifices these men and women make Mr. Speaker, a few months ago—in re- means for current and future readiness that are unimaginable, whether it’s spending time sponse to pressure from both sides of the fully 40 percent of the Army and Marine Corps away from their families, enduring financial aisle—the Republican leadership promised a ground equipment is deployed to Iraq and that hardships, or laying their very lives on the line full debate on Iraq. equipment in Iraq is wearing out five times for freedom. And while these sacrifices are What we got was certainly a long debate, faster than the rate in peacetime. If the war in great, we must not forget that they are fighting but it was far from ‘‘full.’’ A full debate would Iraq ended today, the Army would require two to protect the world from the grip of terrorism. mean that Members would have been able to years of supplemental appropriations and at By risking their lives in Iraq and abroad, these offer alternatives to this resolution. We would least $24 billion dollars to repair and replace brave men and women, including my son, are then have been able to debate the merits of equipment. protecting the lives of American families and all the resolutions offered. If we were properly concerned about our making our country safer. I had hoped to offer the bipartisan resolution National Guard, we would have addressed the Four men from Western North Carolina I introduced with my colleague JOE SCHWARZ fact that it only has about 34 percent of its have given their lives in the Iraq conflict. At- of Michigan that recognizes political progress equipment on hand, down from 75 percent of tending the funeral of one of those men—

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11605 CW03 Mitchell Carver—served as a stark re- difficult and costly; and this majority definitely the other side say otherwise, but I believe they minder that freedom is not free. It is not the could have made the ultimate honor by ac- know better. press who protect a Nation’s right to free knowledging their well done job by bringing Bringing the troops home is necessary not speech; instead, it is men like Mitch Carver the troops home. just for the future of Iraq, but also for the peo- who choose the responsibility to do so. And This majority only wants to praise them—but ple of the United States. We must stop the Mitch Carver is not alone. In the eight years won’t lift a finger to make sure our troops can hemorrhaging of tax dollars that could go to I have been privileged to serve as a rep- come home sooner rather than later. We con- meet our Nation’s vital domestic needs. resentative on the Board of Visitors of our Na- stantly hear the mantras such as: Stay the This war of choice in Iraq is undermining the tion’s military academy at West Point, I have course; we are making progress and so on very fabric of American society. seen thousands of young men and women and so forth. That is the extent of their strat- By the end of this year, the costs of the in- take the oath to protect us. Theirs is a simple egy. Mr. Speaker enough is enough! It is time vasion and occupation of Iraq will total $450 pledge: ‘‘Duty, Honor, Country.’’ to bring the troops home! billion; $450 billion spent in Iraq, who knows To me the great and central question in our Iraq has a new democratic government; it is how much of it going to corrupt, crony contrac- debate is this: Are the Iraqi people capable of our responsibility to help them secure their tors. and deserving of democracy? The answer is country. This country can help Iraq, as it helps All of the President’s statements amount to quite simple. Any man or woman, nation, or other countries, protect itself by providing re- excuses for an open-ended, seemingly never- civilization that thirsts to live free from tyranny, sources and equipment. We need to let them ending commitment of our troops to occupy desires to speak freely, and wishes to freely fight for their country in their way. It is time to Iraq. He is trying to salvage the terrible wager and fairly elect their leaders is worthy of the be friends and not guardians, let Iraq fight for he made in Iraq by doubling down the bet with human lives: Iraqi and American. great gift of democracy. We have seen the im- Iraq. Our troops have done their job; it is time While this debate today is a belated effort to ages of Iraqi men and women with tears in to bring them home. Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform the American people, it is nevertheless their eyes as they cast their first votes in the an empty gesture. It is time to admit our mis- parliamentary elections. Iraq has embraced say we need to bring our troops home. Before continuing, though, I must say that take in Iraq and begin to bring our troops democracy with a contagious enthusiasm. De- this resolution before us, unfortunately, is per- home with honor. mocracy is never easy, but in due time Iraq fectly irrelevant to the choices facing the Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply will be a beacon of hope for the Middle East. American people and this Congress. It is concerned about the current situation in Iraq, To turn our backs on the Iraqi people as they transparently political, does nothing to get us as are the vast majority of Americans. We are making such great strides would be arro- out of our predicament in Iraq, and is a crude need an honest assessment from the civilian gant and foolish. In short, it is abandonment attempt to intimidate and smear those who leadership at the Pentagon about what is not only of the Iraqi people, but also of the wish to honor the desire of the American peo- working and what is not working, and what principles which we have preached and prac- ple by bringing our troops home. This resolu- needs to change in terms of our strategy. ticed as a nation for more than two hundred tion attempts to reinforce the lies that led us I strongly oppose efforts to weaken the posi- years. to war which have been refuted and disproved tion of our military by setting an arbitrary I wish to express my sincere gratitude to our many times over. deadline for withdrawal of our military forces. brave troops and our Iraqi allies. We owe the All of the lies that were offered to justify We all want American troops to return home men and women in our Armed Forces a debt sending our men and women to fight and die from Iraq as soon as possible. Some Mem- of gratitude—their courage should inspire us have evaporated in the light of truth. All that bers of Congress have called for an imme- all. I encourage all Americans to join me in we are left with is this argument that we’re diate withdrawal from Iraq—I disagree with continuing to keep our troops and their fami- there now, so we have to stay ‘‘as long as it them. lies in our thoughts and prayers. As a longtime supporter of our military, I be- ´ takes.’’ This is nonsense. Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise This is the same illogical rhetoric that kept lieve that a calendar-based date for withdrawal once more to denounce our continued involve- our Nation in Vietnam, the rhetoric that dou- serves as a rallying point for insurgents. It also ment in the Iraq war, which was the wrong de- bled the cost of that conflict in American lives. places a target on the backs of American cision, at the wrong time, based on wrong in- More than half the combat deaths in Vietnam troops. Finally, I am very concerned that the formation. And, what are we doing today to occurred after Richard Nixon was elected on a immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops would correct all those wrong actions?—absolutely promise to bring the war to an end, and after leave a volatile vacuum of power in Iraq, nothing—nothing but talk about it. It is time for the American people had already decided that which would rapidly be filled by insurgents. A a change; it is time for a new direction. they did not want one more soldier to die in better alternative is for Congress to clearly de- We are having a debate today to adopt a Vietnam. lineate the conditions that, if met, would permit resolution that merely expresses this cham- Our vital task today in this Congress is to a U.S. withdrawal. ber’s views and opinions on our current mili- prevent a repeat of that tragedy in Iraq, to Standing around arguing about why we’re in tary engagements in the War on Terror. This stop the bleeding, to make the will of the this position doesn’t serve a good purpose, in resolution honors our men and women who American people, which is to bring our troops my opinion. Instead, I think today’s debate is have given their lives in the defense of this home, the policy of our government as soon an opportunity to talk about how we can de- country and it honors our armed forces pres- as possible. Our task today is to save the lives velop a strategy for success. Regardless of ently on active engagement overseas, among of our troops who remain in Iraq by bringing when the last American soldier leaves Iraq, I other things. These praises to our armed them home. want to be able to look at him or her and be forces are indeed truly deserved, as they have We in this Congress have a choice. The able to say that the service of our military been thrust into a very difficult conflict with American people have a right to exercise a achieved something greater than the political perilous conditions. choice on this issue, as to whether our men ends of a few here in Washington. I hope all However, I think our troops can better ap- and women will continue to fight and die in a of my colleagues share that desire. A strategy preciate Congress’ good intentions with ac- war based on deception and fantasy, or to for success should be comprehensive—it tions rather than mere congratulatory words. start bringing the troops home. should include not just a military role, but also This majority could have demonstrated our ap- The American people have decided that it a plan for political, diplomatic, and economic preciation of the troops through laws that gave was a mistake to choose to go to war in Iraq. success. them all the equipment they needed when we The American people deserve some an- In the next few weeks, a field artillery unit sent them to war. This majority could have swers, as to how we could spend so much in from my district—the 222nd—is heading home shown their commitment by demanding that Iraq and achieve so little. They deserve to after a long year in Iraq. These soldiers have the Commander in Chief clearly layout a plan know why all this money is being spent on a made immense sacrifices on behalf of our of action and exit strategy, instead of allowing war of choice, when one on eight Americans great Nation and I am so grateful that they’re the continuing improvisation our troops have lives in poverty, and when 46 million Ameri- going to be back in Utah. We all have con- endured. This majority certainly might have cans have no health insurance, including 13 stituents serving overseas and I would like to demonstrated its commitment to the troops by million children. take this opportunity to sincerely thank our not nickel and diming them on health care and No one in this body wants to see terrorism military service members for their work on be- making their reintegration to civil society more and the rule of force prevail in Iraq. Some on half of all Americans.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11606 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in more stable, the national stock exchange is up Mindy since they married a few years ago and strong support of House Resolution 861. Since and running, and business registrations are on the start of the war on terrorism. the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we the rise. More roads and schools are being Sergeant Fletcher is serving in a very re- have pursued terrorists and brought them to built as we speak, and the oil sector shows mote region in the Horn of Africa. He is part justice around the world. In this Global War on promise as pipeline security efforts increase. of a Combined Joint Task Force focused on Terror—where evil, bloodthirsty fanatics kill to In Afghanistan, the Al Qaeda/Taliban terrorists defeating transnational terrorist groups oper- prevent democracy and liberty from taking are on the run and 28% of Afghan Parliament ating in the region. Sergeant Fletcher and his root—there is no option for the forces of free- delegates are women. fellow troops in Africa lack amenities like run- dom but victory. This resolution affirms our What our troops told me is not what is being ning water, reliable power, and air condi- commitment to victory. It is a solemn declara- reported either. We have the finest military in tioning. There is no internet, television, or tion that we will prevail over the terrorists, and the world, and morale is high. Our brave even paved roads. Because they are so far that we will do so hand in hand with all who troops know the world will be safer when the away from the main camp they eat off the cherish freedom and repudiate extremism. mission is complete. We must stand strong local economy. There are no fruits or vegeta- Mr. Speaker, I came to Congress in January and support our troops and allies in this fight bles where he is based, and so far he has 2001. The Global War on Terror has been the against global terror. eaten camel, goat, lamb, beef, and a couple defining issue during much of my time here on Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, America and things he could not identify. They cook their Capitol Hill. From that perspective, I can state its allies are engaged in a war against a ter- meals over an open fire and sleep outside that we have made tremendous progress in rorist movement that spans all corners of the every night. strengthening our defenses at home, and tak- globe. It is sparked by radical ideologues that Sergeant Fletcher’s wife writes, ‘‘His team is ing the fight to our enemies overseas. breed hatred, oppression, and violence doing well and I know they are working very I visited Iraq for the first time in December against all of their declared enemies. Since long hours. I can’t imagine going 40 days with- 2003, shortly before the capture of Saddam September 11, 2001, the powerful coalition of out running water in temperatures over 100 Hussein. At that time, the Iraqi Governing nations, led by the United States, has seen degrees without air conditioning, but I know Council had been formed, but the Coalition many successes against al-Qaeda and other Nathan and other servicemen and women do Provisional Authority still exercised most of the terrorist groups. It is imperative that we remain it everyday.’’ She continues, ‘‘Iraq and Afghan- essential functions of government. In Decem- united and steadfast in the quest to defeat ter- istan get most of the focus, but our troops are ber 2003, Iraqi sovereignty seemed possible, rorism around the world. fighting the global war on terror throughout the but distant. Last year I traveled to the Middle East to world. I am really proud that he is part of mak- I returned to Iraq this past Memorial Day re- visit with troops in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghani- ing sure al-Qaeda and other terrorists aren’t cess. We are well on our way to achieving our stan. I came away with several observations: able to expand into another part of the world.’’ goals. The death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, First, morale of the troops is HIGH. They Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Fletcher and the mil- the foreign terrorist who was al-Qaeda’s top are confident of the progress they have made lions of other troops fighting the War on Terror commander in Iraq, puts us one step closer to in the mission to spread freedom and democ- around the world believe in what they’re doing. neutralizing the insurgency and defeating the racy in the Middle East. Not one serviceman They don’t want to stop. They know their mis- terrorists. Democracy and liberty have taken or woman I encountered had any doubts sion is right. We owe it to them to see this root in the heart of a region that is not known about the purpose and importance of his or campaign for democracy through until we are for either. The Iraq I visited two weeks ago her presence there. The troops are positive completely victorious. had a sovereign, democratic government; the and appreciative of all of the support they re- Mindy no doubt wishes that Nathan was at result of three successful elections. ceived from back home. home with her. Nathan no doubt wishes he And after much negotiation, the Iraqi gov- Their confidence in their mission is well-jus- was at home sitting in the air conditioning and ernment recently named interior, defense, and tified. Since my visit, the Iraqis have ratified a eating a t-bone steak rather than camel steak. security ministers. These new ministers will new constitution and installed a new, strong Yet they both know the reasons and the im- continue to lead Iraq to security self-reliance. Prime Minister, Nuri Al-Maliki. And now the lat- portance of the mission. As an example of the improved security on est milestone: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Fletcher is enduring the ground, it was my honor and privilege to Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, was killed in an air raid these harsh conditions for our freedom. Make be part of the first Congressional Delegation to last week. no mistake—this mission is not only justified, spend the night Baghdad. Mr. Speaker, as I sat in a tent in Kuwait eat- it is essential. Let us never forget the Pearl The new leaders of Iraq implored me to ing dinner with troops from Texas, I was Harbors, the attacks of 9/11. Let us never for- bring back a message to this Congress: Iraq struck by how young most of them were. get the freedom we have. Let us never forget will never achieve security self-reliance if the Those soldiers with me were 18–20 years old. the Sergeant Fletchers and the sacrifices they United States leaves before its work is done. Their experiences and their stories humbled make for us. If we leave before our job is done, the terror- me. Never in my life have I felt such emotion Mr. Speaker, we must not lay down our ists and insurgents will not only wreak greater and love for our service men and women than arms now. We must press on, for freedom, for havoc upon the Iraqi people, but they will also when I sat and looked at these brave young peace. create a terrorist state from which to per- soldiers. Barely out of high school, yet each Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, the resolution petrate acts of violence against those who dis- day these heroes awaken knowing of the per- under consideration today presents Congress agree with their world view. ils that lie ahead. Danger awaits them, but with a single option—to endorse the Adminis- For the sake of our own national security, they continue to make a great sacrifice each tration’s handling of the War in Iraq. Such an we must do everything we can to support the day so that you and I can be free. endorsement means committing our troops to new leaders of Iraq. I sometimes feel that we Americans take protracted, open-ended involvement for an in- Mr. Speaker, I also had the opportunity to our freedoms and our lives for granted. We definite number of years while incurring thou- visit Afghanistan during the Memorial Day Re- forget the images of 9/11. Yet while on my trip sand of additional casualties and spending cess. President Karzai heads a fully demo- to the Middle East, the London bombings oc- hundreds of billions of dollars. cratic government, the culmination of a com- curred. This was yet another stark reminder Unfortunately, this is a counterproductive plete transition to democracy. Women now that if we don’t fight terrorists abroad, they just option. I do not believe the newly elected Iraqi have the right to vote and work. Although get closer to our home. government can achieve the politically President Karzai’s government has greatly ex- Mr. Speaker, the War on Terror is a global daunting challenge of building a democracy as tended its authority, history teaches us that we effort; it reaches beyond a small concentration long as there is an expectation that the United cannot let any part of Afghanistan remain a of countries in the Middle East. I’d like to States will always be there providing the prin- haven for terrorists. We must continue to pur- share the story of Marine Staff Sergeant Na- ciple security and defense roles for the coun- sue, capture, and eradicate the remaining Al than Fletcher. Sergeant Fletcher’s wife, Mindy, try. Qaeda/Taliban terrorists. lived in Dallas and also worked for another Exceedingly difficult compromises between What I saw overseas is not what is being war hero, my fellow Texas Congressman SAM the ethnic and secretarian factions in Iraq reported by the media back home. The Iraqi JOHNSON, on Capitol Hill. He is currently expe- need to be made, and those compromises economy is picking up steam: currency is riencing his third extended separation from must be determined by the Iraqis themselves.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00072 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11607 The Administration’s course currently is sion and occupation of Iraq. Then-Deputy Sec- numerous other bad decisions, and while I emboldening these factions to seek maximum retary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz testified be- hope it ends well, we will feel the ramifications advantage for their respective groups—even fore a Senate Committee and predicted that in many ways for years to come. as the business of building a united country is the monetary cost of the war to the United Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, the members of harmed significantly. The result is a full blown States would not exceed $2 billion. Including this House have had a lengthy and passionate insurgency which increasingly looks like a civil money to be appropriated this year, we are debate today. When these hours of debate are war in destruction and effect. approaching $400 billion, and continue to over, I think the American people need a clear The Administration did not foresee these spend $8.1 billion every month in Iraq. understanding of what the Democrats propose challenges, and certain officials still appear to Wolfowitz also said Iraq had no history of eth- to do. be in denial of this reality. The United States nic strife. Lets look at the Democrats’ blueprint, the deserves new leadership on Iraq and a new It is important to remember that the Bush Murtha Plan. course, and the Administration should take the administration assertions were not conven- The Murtha Plan proposes to have our steps to remove those who have brought us to tional wisdom at the time. Both then-Army forces ‘‘redeployed at the earliest practicable the present circumstances and revitalize our Chief of Staff, GEN Eric Shinseki, and then- date’’ with no details about what that means. effort with a new leadership team. Bush economic adviser Larry Lindsey, soon Meanwhile, the Iraqi leadership only days ago I have traveled to Iraq on three occasions. left their positions after publicly stating, re- requested for our forces to continue their side- After my last trip in October 2005, I came spectively, that the war would take large num- by-side work with Iraqi forces. The Democrats’ away strongly believing in the need for a time- bers of troops and hundreds of billions of dol- plan advocates redeployment before the job is ly transition of responsibility to Iraqis. One lars to prosecute. done, which is nothing short of retreat. month later, when this House debated a reso- Further, it quickly became clear that the The Murtha Plan calls for the creation of a ‘‘quick-reaction force’’ and an ‘‘over-the-hori- lution ordering an immediate withdrawal of planning of the occupation of Iraq was woe- zon presence of U.S. Marines’’ with, again, no troops from the nation, I opposed the resolu- fully inadequate, placing our soldiers in in- details about what exactly that means. The tion, but I noted the following: ‘‘We need to creasing danger. Stories of inadequate sup- Democrats continue to advocate retreat, while come together on an exit strategy for our sol- plies of bulletproof vests and armor for our President has stated time and time again diers based upon the transition of security to humvees documented this fact. The outspoken that our commanders on the ground will deter- the Iraqis themselves in order to give the new concern of former generals in regard to these mine the tactical plans, not politicians in democratic government of the people of Iraq a preparations further underscored the prob- Washington. fair chance of success.’’ lems. The intensity of the insurgency caught The Murtha Plan calls for America to ‘‘pur- I still oppose an ‘‘immediate withdrawal’’ or- the administration by surprise. sue security and stability in Iraq through diplo- dered by the U.S. Congress. Some will argue The United States has allocated $50 billion macy.’’ Are Democrats suggesting that we can that opposition to an indefinite U.S. military to private contractors for reconstruction and negotiate with terrorists? This is a war unlike presence in Iraq means support for imme- rebuilding efforts in Iraq since the beginning of any other. If we leave this front now, the ter- diately abandoning Iraq. This is completely the war. Nine billion dollars in reconstruction rorists will come after us somewhere else. false. I favor leaving military commanders with funds are unaccounted for, while the Defense This is not about territory or conquest. This is authority for the military redeployment and Contract Audit Agency has deemed that $1.47 a fight for the future of the free world. troop drawdown. I do not favor near term billion spent by the Halliburton Corporation The Murtha Plan supported by the Demo- deadlines imposed by Congress as the way to was excessive or insufficiently documented. crats is nothing more than an enormous step accomplish this result. Oil production is at 2.2 million barrels per backwards in the fight against the Islamic fas- I strongly support our troops and their fami- day—down from 2.6 million barrels per day cists. It is a rehash of the same old policies of lies. I support giving them the resources they prior to the war. appeasement and retreat that contributed need to do their job, and the benefits they de- The resolution we are debating also says greatly to our lack of preparedness for the serve. ‘‘. . . the terrorists have declared Iraq to be 9/11 attacks. The policy of appeasement and I support winning the Global War on Terror. the central front in their war against all who non-engagement has only emboldened terror- For these reasons, I cannot support this res- oppose their ideology.’’ This is true only be- ists in the past. olution. It is too open-ended, too blind to the cause we gave them the opportunity to do so. Thankfully, our President has charted a new reality of the difficulties we are facing, and too Iraq clearly was not the central front before course to take the fight to the terrorists so we simplistic a resolution for the complex situation the U.S. invasion—another unfortunate out- do not have to fight them here at home. We in which we find ourselves. come of poor planning. must aggressively keep our resolve in this Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in I continue to believe that part of our deci- decades-old war with the terrorists. support of the resolution before us today, de- sion making process concerning how to move Mr. SABO. I come to this House debate spite the fact that it barely touches on the war forward in Iraq must include an analysis of deeply frustrated over the chaos in Iraq. I in Iraq, which is the stated purpose of our de- how we got there. It is not enough to say that voted against authorizing President Bush to bate, and makes some claims I do not agree since we are there, we have to make the best take us to war in Iraq. I believed in 2002, and with. While I will vote yes, I want to be abso- of it. I agree that we cannot just walk away, am more certain today that this war has been lutely clear that I am doing so to emphatically and do not support a certain date for our exit, a grave mistake. support our troops and the bravery they dis- but we still do not have any framework for Mr. Speaker, I have nothing but respect for play every day in fighting the war on terror. I evaluating our progress there. While the death the honorable American service men and did not vote to authorize the Iraq War and of Al Zarqawi is great news, and it seems that women who have been put into harm’s way. continue to believe it was a mistake. I do not Iraqi security forces are taking on more re- However, the goodwill I feel for these brave agree with parts of this resolution that misstate sponsibility, does anyone really believe that in Americans is contrasted by my lack of con- the original administration arguments for in- one year, or two years, or even five years, fidence in President Bush and the Defense vading Iraq. The heart of this discussion that Iraq will be able to defend itself? Department leadership. Once they got us into needs to be that the Bush administration has I said at the outset of this war that the this war, they have, time and again, ignored been almost totally inept in its planning and United States was going to pay the vast ma- sound military planning and blatantly dis- prosecution of the war and occupation of Iraq. jority of its costs, in both lives and dollars, and regarded the violent, grinding reality that has Time and again, the Bush administration this has clearly been the case. We must re- steadily descended on Iraq over the past 3 has been wrong. Before invading Iraq, we engage the international community to take on years. were told that Saddam Hussein was an immi- more of the burdens of the occupation, and As members of Congress, it is one of our nent threat to the United States. After attend- seek to bring our troops home as soon as highest duties to hold the civilian and military ing the briefings provided by the administra- possible. leadership accountable when they take our tion, I did not feel that administration officials Today, I join my colleagues in celebrating nation to war. To date, 2,500 American serv- made this case, and the lack of weapons of the extraordinary efforts and accomplishments ice men and women have been killed, and mass destruction certainly undercuts this argu- of our troops. But I do not celebrate our coun- more than 18,000 more have been injured. ment. Even worse, we were given a stream of try’s undertaking of the invasion and occupa- There are no higher stakes than these. Unfor- incorrect assumptions of the costs of the inva- tion of Iraq. It was a bad decision followed by tunately, H. Res. 861 does nothing to demand

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11608 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 that the Bush administration correct its disas- bringing home U.S. troops from Iraq ‘‘will be ernment undermines U.S. national security. trous policies in Iraq. decided by future presidents,’’ signaling that Such a statement shows a misunderstanding Earlier this year, General Anthony Zinni, U.S. troops will not be home until 2009 at the of the enemy we face in Iraq. former Commander of the U.S. Central Com- earliest. The American people need to under- Although today the president and pro- mand, pointedly expressed the views of many, stand that a vote in favor of this resolution is ponents of this resolution fail to distinguish be- many Americans about Iraq when he said, a vote to stay in Iraq until at least 2009. tween the various enemies we face in Iraq, in ‘‘We are paying the price for the lack of cred- Let me address my specific concerns with a speech on December 12, 2005, the presi- ible planning, or the lack of a plan. Ten years the text of the resolution. dent actually did make important distinctions worth of planning were thrown away, troop First, I am concerned that the resolution in- between the insurgent elements in Iraq. He levels dismissed out of hand. . . . These were appropriately lumps Iraq in with the so-called mentioned ‘‘rejectionists,’’ which are mostly strategic mistakes, mistakes of policy made global war on terror. It was Osama bin Laden Sunni Arabs who miss the privileged status back here.’’ and al-Qaeda who attacked the U.S. on Sep- they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein. He Mr. Speaker, my constituents and people tember 11, 2001, not Saddam Hussein and mentioned ‘‘Saddamists’’, who are former re- across the nation want a clear plan for suc- Iraq. I believe it was a mistake to move intel- gime elements who want to return to power. cess in Iraq. Americans want to believe that ligence and military assets away from the fight Again, they are Sunni Arabs. And, he men- there can be a successful end to this conflict, against al-Qaeda, which did not have a pres- tioned foreign terrorists affiliated with or in- and that our soldiers, marines and other per- ence in Iraq prior to the U.S. invasion, in order spired by al-Qaeda, which even the president sonnel will return home soon. Unfortunately, it to attack Iraq. Iraq did not pose a direct threat acknowledged was the ‘‘smallest’’ element of is hard to hold onto this hope given the Presi- to U.S. national security, had not attacked the the insurgency. The one huge element he left dent’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the U.S., and could be contained with sanctions, out was nationalist Shias, such as those influ- failures in his Iraq policy. We must change inspections, and no-fly zones. enced by Moqtada al-Sadr. course. Second, and perhaps of most concern, the The reality is that the rejectionists, The United States has a critical role in help- resolution endorses keeping U.S. troops in Saddamists, and nationalist Shias, who com- ing Iraqis to build a peaceful, democratic soci- Iraq until there is a ‘‘sovereign, free, secure, bined make up the vast bulk of the insurgents ety. I am certain, however, that an open- and united Iraq.’’ By that standard, the U.S. in Iraq, have no interest in attacking the U.S. ended U.S. military presence in Iraq will not will be in Iraq for a decade or more. That is homeland. They just want U.S. military forces accomplish peace and stability there. Further- unacceptable and unnecessary. And, in fact, it out of their own country. They have no de- more, waving the flag, with Congressional res- undermines U.S. national security by indefi- signs on our country. So it is misleading, at olutions like H. Res 861, accomplishes noth- nitely tying up U.S. intelligence and military best, to argue that if we don’t fight the insur- ing. assets that could be better used finding gents there, we will fight them in the streets of With mounting casualties and the $320 bil- Osama bin Laden and breaking the back of al- the United States. Even the foreign terrorist lion in spending on this war, Americans de- Qaeda around the world. elements in Iraq seem more focused on ignit- serve to hear the unvarnished truth from their The U.S. cannot impose freedom, security, ing a Shia-Sunni civil war in the Middle East President and elected representatives. I firmly and unity in Iraq by force. Those worthy goals and attacking regimes they consider infidels in believe that Congressman MURTHA has the can only be achieved by the Iraqi people the region, such the Jordanian monarchy. right idea with his resolution to redeploy our themselves, which will only happen when the It is also misleading to pretend that if the troops. We must make it clear to Iraqis that Iraqi people and their leaders decide to put U.S. leaves that somehow Osama bin Laden we support their transition to a peaceful and aside their sectarian differences. The U.S. will take control of Iraq. There is no chance prosperous society. Hard-nosed diplomacy, cannot force Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds to that the Shias and Kurds, who represent Iraqi institution-building and support from the make peace or to act for the common good. around 80 percent of the population in Iraq, international community are better tools than They have been in conflict for 1,400 years. will allow foreign terrorist elements to take the U.S. military to accomplish this goal. Nor should the U.S. military be forced to re- over the country. Even the majority of the I still seek answers to questions I asked De- main in Iraq essentially as an army for one Sunnis have grown tired of foreign terrorists fense Secretary Rumsfeld in appropriations side of a civil war. As long as the U.S. military operating in Iraq. hearings earlier this year: What is your plan remains stuck with the president’s pledge of With respect to the argument about waiting for success in Iraq? When and under what unending, open-ended support, Iraqi politicians us out, as long as the Sunni, Shia and Kurds conditions can our honorable men and women and security forces will use the U.S. presence cannot resolve their political differences, vio- serving there come home? The House debate as a crutch. Establishing a timeline to bring lence will continue in Iraq. It is not a matter of on H. Res. 861 will not provide the answers, the bulk of our troops home and redeploy oth- whether we’re there or not. It is ridiculous to and I am still waiting for a thoughtful and cred- ers to fight al-Qaeda would force the Iraqi assume that the insurgent elements will stop ible response from Secretary Rumsfeld. people, politicians and security forces to re- attacking once a timeline for bringing U.S. Mr. DEFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to solve their differences, establish an effective troops home is announced and will wait to discuss H. Res. 861. The Republican leader- and inclusive government, end sectarian vio- start again until after we leave. ship has been promising for weeks that the lence and create a secure society. The U.S. I believe that negotiating a timeline for House would have a genuine debate about military cannot solve the sectarian problems in bringing U.S. forces home is a prerequisite for the future of U.S. military involvement in Iraq. Iraq. Only the Iraqis can. stabilizing Iraq over the next several months. Given that promise, I am disappointed that H. Proponents of the resolution say that those Announcing the termination of the open- Res. 861 is a truly hollow effort. Despite the like me who want our troops to come home ended U.S. military commitment in Iraq and eloquent words used, the resolution has no le- are defeatist and want to cut and run from providing a concrete plan, including a timeline gally binding impact. It does nothing to require Iraq. negotiated with the Iraqi government, for a re-evaluation of U.S. policies in Iraq or to To the contrary, I believe the U.S. military bringing our troops home would undermine change the status quo. It does nothing to ad- has already done all that has been asked of support for insurgents. Public opinion polls dress the mistakes that have been made in them. Saddam Hussein is on trial. The threat show that nearly 9 in 10 Iraqis support an- Iraq. The American people, particularly our from alleged weapons of mass destruction nouncing a timeline for U.S. withdrawal and 70 troops serving honorably in difficult cir- programs in Iraq has been neutralized. The percent want the U.S. out by the end of 2007. cumstances in Iraq, deserve more than programs do not exist, and didn’t before the The U.S. cannot want to stay in Iraq more cheerleading and sloganeering. Unfortunately, war for that matter. The Iraqi people have writ- than the Iraqis themselves want us there. empty promises are all this resolution offers. ten and adopted a new constitution and elect- As, the Commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, A vote for this resolution is a vote for the ed a new government. It is time to turn over General George Casey, testified to Congress status quo. It is a vote for staying indefinitely control of the country to the Iraqi government, last year, ‘‘the perception of occupation in Iraq in Iraq, perhaps a decade or longer. It is a Iraqi security forces, and the Iraqi people to is a major driving force behind the insur- vote for continuing with the current policies build their own future. gency.’’ A specific withdrawal plan, with with no end in sight. I cannot support endors- Second, the resolution contains the blatantly benchmarks for measuring success in stabi- ing the status quo. On March 21, 2006, Presi- false assertion that negotiating a timeline for lizing Iraq, could unite Iraqis, Sunni, Shia and dent Bush actually said that the question of bringing U.S. troops home with the Iraqi gov- Kurd, against the foreign terrorists operating in

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00074 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11609 Iraq. That would be a key turning point in sta- threat against global peace and security.’’ direction in Iraq. This resolution was offered bilizing the country. Saddam Hussein did pay the families of Pal- without any opportunity for amendment, pre- A timeline for bringing U.S. troops home estinian suicide bombers. So in that sense he venting the House of Representatives from that is negotiated with the Iraqi government did support terrorists, but he did not support holding a full and fair debate on the most im- would also boost the Iraqi government’s legit- the terrorists who attacked the U.S. The 9/11 portant matter facing our nation today. Our imacy and claim to self-rule, and force the Commission and other experts have found no troops, and all Americans, deserve a better Iraqi government to take responsibility for itself operational links between Iraq and al-Qaeda. and more responsible debate. While I will not and its citizens. Negotiating a timeline and Further, as I previously mentioned, Saddam support this resolution, I will always continue strategy with the Iraqi government could, more Hussein did not have weapons of mass de- to stand by our troops and their families. than possibly anything else, improve the struction programs and could be contained by Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to standing of the Iraqi government in the eyes of sanctions, inspections and no-fly zones. speak against this politically motivated resolu- its own people, a significant achievement in a Finally, I would like to bring my colleagues’ tion. Our country is under a real and serious region in which the standing of rulers and gov- attention to a survey of 100 top foreign policy threat from extremists. We do not have time to ernments is generally low. experts just released by the Center for Amer- waste on cheap political resolutions that dis- Similarly, establishing a firm timeline for ican Progress and Foreign Policy magazine. tract us from the unity and sense of purpose bringing our troops home could accelerate the The survey indicates that despite the that we should all have together, as Ameri- development of Iraqi security forces and deep- cheerleading we’re hearing on the House floor cans, in confronting the real threat. en their commitment to defending their own today, the U.S. is not winning the war against We need to have a real debate on real solu- country and their own government. It would Islamic terrorists and Iraq has undermined our tions to determine an effective course of ac- eliminate the conflict they now feel by working efforts. More than 80 percent of the experts tion in Iraq. An honest debate does not under- with what many of them see as an occupying surveyed believe the U.S. is becoming less mine our soldiers’ morale, as some have sug- force. It would allow them to defend a sov- safe. Even 71 percent of the self-identified gested in an attempt to silence all questions. ereign Iraqi government, rather than fight conservative experts said the U.S. is not win- What is actually demoralizing to our service alongside U.S. forces. ning the war on terror. Twenty-eight percent of men and women is to be sent into harm’s way A plan to bring the bulk of our troops home respondents, including 26 percent of the con- lacking body armor and supplies and a defini- from Iraq and free up intelligence and defense servatives, said the Iraq war is the principal tive plan for success; and then coming back assets to redeploy to fight al-Qaeda, particu- reason the U.S. is less safe, second only to as veterans only to be harassed by creditors larly in Afghanistan and along the Afghanistan- the more generic reason of rising Muslim hos- because the VA did not take steps to protect Pakistan border, could also help the United tility toward the U.S. An astonishing 87 per- them, or not receiving the necessary treatment States in our broader fight against Islamic ex- cent of respondents, including 69 percent of for medical issues like PTSD. In fact, a real, open discussion of the facts tremists with global ambitions. It would make conservatives said that the war in Iraq has on the ground and the challenges we face the U.S. safer by taking away a recruiting tool had a negative impact on U.S. security and globally would show our soldiers that we are and training ground. Former Director of the nearly 60 percent said the U.S. needs to put CIA, Porter Goss, testified to Congress that, serious about this endeavor and their safety more focus on bringing our troops home. The and that we want to be successful. That is ‘‘Islamic extremists are exploiting the Iraqi results of this survey of top foreign policy ex- conflict to recruit new anti-U.S. jihadists. good for our troops. perts from across the ideological spectrum are The way our current debate on Iraq is con- These jihadists who survive will leave Iraq ex- sobering and directly contradict the blind opti- ducted, with resolutions like this, hurts all of perienced and focused on acts of urban ter- mism and endorsement of the status quo that us—this is political grandstanding. We can no rorism.’’ He went on to say, ‘‘The Iraq conflict, is reflected in H. Res. 861. longer allow political leaders to shield a badly while not a cause of extremism, has become It is unfortunate that the Republican leader- conducted policy in Iraq behind the cloak of a cause for extremists.’’ ship continues to prohibit an open and honest 9/11. In addition to a timeline, I have proposed debate about the fight against radical Islamic We were attacked on 9/11, and we had a that U.S. troops be removed from front line terrorists like al-Qaeda, and the distinct issue united country and a united world join together combat positions in Iraqi cities and towns, of the best strategy for bringing our troops in approval as we sought to stop the terrorists turning over daily security patrols, interactions home from Iraq. The American people deserve in Afghanistan. This had nothing to do with with citizens, and any offensive security ac- better. Iraq. And now, five years later, we find our- ´ tions to the Iraqis themselves. The training Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. selves with a divided nation, and few allies and equipping of Iraqi security forces should Speaker, I join my colleagues in honoring who support our policies. This has everything be accelerated. The U.S. must renounce any those serving in our Armed Forces in Iraq and to do with Iraq. U.S. interest in constructing permanent U.S. Afghanistan, and all the civilians serving here Despite the courage, dedication and profes- military bases in Iraq. It is also important to at home and abroad to protect America from sionalism of our men and women in uniform, accelerate reconstruction spending and grant terrorism. our military has been strained as a result of the bulk of reconstruction contracts to local With the support of their families, the brave the poor and extremely shortsighted leader- companies employing Iraqis rather than multi- men and women of our Armed Forces have ship of the Secretary of Defense. Recruitment national corporations, whom have proven inef- performed their duties with professionalism is down. Our National Guard has assumed a ficient, inflexible, sometimes fraudulent and and distinction. They and their families de- greater burden in military operations then ever have even imported workers rather than em- serve the gratitude of this nation. We espe- before and as a result our homeland security ploying Iraqis. The U.S. embassy in Baghdad cially honor, and will never forget, the more is weakened. should also be reduced to normal size and au- than 2,500 Americans who have made the ulti- The invasion of Iraq and our continuing oc- thority rather than establishing one of the larg- mate sacrifice in our nation’s service. And cupation has damaged our standing in the est embassies in the world. their families have our enduring sympathies world. Abu Ghraib, massive civilian casualties, Third, I am concerned that the resolution for their loss. lawlessness and little economic hope in Iraq continues to mislead the American people, To honor all who have taken an active part have undermined the global support that we about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. in the war in Iraq and the fight against ter- had to hunt down and destroy terrorists Saddam Hussein was a brutal tyrant. I am rorism in Afghanistan and around the world, it around the world. The war has not made us glad he is now on trial for crimes against hu- is the duty of Congress to aggressively pursue safer from terrorists—it has created more ter- manity. But, opposition to a dictator is not the the most effective strategy for winning the Iraq rorists. 90 percent of the insurgents in Iraq are measure I use when deciding whether to send War by demanding accountability for poor Iraqi. The sad reality is that we have created our men and women in uniform off to war and planning, mismanagement, and lack of over- thousands of terrorists where there were none possible death. For me, there must be a direct sight, in addition to developing a new direction before. threat to U.S. national security to justify the that includes a responsible redeployment of But a review of these errors does not solve sacrifice of the blood and wealth of fellow U.S. Forces. the problems. Now, we must look forward. We Americans. In the case of Iraq, I didn’t see While I agree with most of the content of H. must ask, what is the best course for our Na- that. The resolution claims that Hussein ‘‘sup- Res. 861, I cannot vote in favor of it because tion, our soldiers, and the Iraqi people? A pol- ported terrorists’’ and ‘‘constituted a grave it does not acknowledge the need for a new icy of ‘‘Stay the course’’ does not address the

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00075 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11610 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 real situation on the ground in Iraq. It does not When a new recruit is inducted into the U.S. we don’t lose fights. If he finds himself in a provide a clear and understandable path to military he or she takes an oath. In part this fight he did not instigate, if he is engaged in success and to bringing our troops home. It oath pledges the soldier, sailor or airman to a fight through no fault of his own, then I ex- does not help us to address the damage that ‘‘protect and defend the United States Con- pect him to win. we have seen to our moral authority around stitution from all enemies foreign and domes- We did not ask for this fight, Mr. Speaker. the world and it certainly does not provide a tic.’’ If I had to distill the U.S. Constitution The people who went to work at the World plan to destroy al Qaeda and similar terrorist down to a single word I would define it as ‘‘lib- Trade Center on September 11 were not try- organizations. erty.’’ ing to pick a fight. The Americans at the Pen- Instead, we must have a new course in Iraq, Young Americans fought and died at Tren- tagon weren’t spoiling for one. The enemies of a way of instituting fundamental change in our ton and Yorktown to achieve liberty. They died liberty after being fed for two decades came to role there, and a way of removing our military at Gettysburg and Vicksburg to extend liberty eat us at last. We all want our soldiers, sailors presence. It is time for the Iraqi people to take to all Americans. They gave their all at Nor- and airmen home safely, but not until the job full control of their country. The United States mandy and Iwo Jima to restore liberty to peo- is finished. Appeasement is not a logical policy military cannot act as the dominant security ple they did not know. Throughout American and losing is not an option. force in Iraq indefinitely. I believe, as many history Americans have stood up to the en- Mr. CAMP of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, leading military experts do, that our presence emies of liberty. throughout the centuries a test of the human in Iraq incites and perpetuates the violence. In my youth I heard the President of the spirit has arisen; a test of our foresight; and, We need a timeline for withdrawal so that the United States say ‘‘Let every nation know, a test of our most basic, fundamental belief elected government of Iraq can fully assume whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall that we are endowed by our Creator with in- its duties in the political, economic, and secu- pay any price, bear any burden, meet any alienable rights that no person—through tyr- rity arenas. hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, anny, terror or any other mechanism—may The principle of our efforts must be this: that to assure the survival and success of liberty.’’. deprive another. we cannot want a free and stable Iraq more That President was John F. Kennedy. He Today, we face a new evil that is unique in than the Iraqis themselves do. It is time for knew the value of liberty. As part of the ‘‘The history. It comes not in the form of another na- them to take control of their own country, and Greatest Generation’’ he risked life and limb in tion. It calls radicalism home, while living in their own destiny. defense of liberty. every country, spreading quietly like a cancer I strongly believe that we must continue to The Greatest Generation spent 144 percent awaiting the most opportune time to strike. The question we face is simple: Will we rise support the efforts of the Iraqi people to estab- of our Gross Domestic Product defending lib- to that challenge or will we exit the arena leav- lish a free, secure and sovereign state, but we erty. Not 144 percent of the Federal budget, ing future generations to battle a more cannot do this by occupying the country and but 144 percent of the total annual output of emboldened enemy? dominating its internal security and economic goods and services in our country. Over development. International cooperation, eco- We, as Americans, are blessed as a free 400,000 young Americans died in the effort. people and are obliged to defend liberty. It is nomic aide, security training, and assistance There are 9,387 crosses in the American cem- for infrastructure development should be our an inherited responsibility that does not end at etery on the bluffs overlooking the beaches of our borders; and while the major battlefield is aims. Normandy. The Greatest Generation of Ameri- Too many American and Iraqi lives have halfway around the globe, it is a challenge that cans was willing to pay any price, and bear been lost. Too much money has been diverted cannot be dismissed by distance—a fact the any burden, in defense of liberty. to this endeavor instead of going toward hunt- last two World Wars should have taught us We have some people today who know the well. ing down al Qaeda and other terrorist organi- price of everything and the value of nothing. zations, who are the true enemies of our On September 11, 2001, terrorists, in a mur- Has liberty depreciated so much? Is she worth derous rage, sought to shake our foundation American freedom. less to us than she was to our parents? And It is time for us to move forward together, in in hopes we would abandon the cause of free- their parents? Shall we tell those who lay at support of our soldiers, in support of the Iraqi dom. Since that bloody day, our men and Flanders’ fields we are not willing to support people, with the support of our allies, and in women in uniform have not only answered our any friend, and oppose any foe, to make the the firm belief that with a change in approach Nation’s call to duty; they have not only world safe and secure for liberty? in Iraq, we can secure greater freedom and served ably and nobly; but they, like thou- Anyone who does not understand that prosperity here and abroad. sands of American soldiers before them, have Mr. SODREL. Mr. Speaker, Sir Winston Osama bin Laden is an enemy of liberty, de- responded without hesitation to freedom’s call Churchill once said ‘‘An appeaser is one who ludes himself. Anyone who believes al for help and they have followed her voice into feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.’’ Zarqawi was not determined to kill liberty is the darkest comers, bringing new life and new We followed the process of appeasement with feeding the crocodile. The value of anything is light to generations of the oppressed. terrorists for too long. We ignored the jihadists determined by the price paid. For Americans Today, because of their actions Afghanistan for too long, and they finally arrived on our throughout our nation’s history we would not is rid of the Taliban; Iraq has been released soil. sell our liberty for any price. For our Founders from the iron grasp of Saddam Hussein; Let me highlight a few examples of terrorist it was worth their lives, their fortunes, and Osama bin Laden has been sent scurrying; attacks for which we responded with appease- their sacred honor. and, his ‘‘Prince of Al Qaeda,’’ Abu Musab al- ment. It took us 13 years after the start of our rev- Zarqawi, has been delivered to his final fate. December 21, 1988, Pan American Airlines olution to adopt our current constitution. The After nearly two decades of being left vir- Flight 103 was blown up by a bomb over Iraqi people are progressing to a constitutional tually unchecked, we are now fighting back Lockerbie, Scotland killing all 259 passengers government at a comparatively rapid rate. I and beating back the terrorists. This is not a on board; have a great deal of respect for those who are war on paper; it is a war with real costs and February 26, 1993, an Islamic terrorist willing to serve in their government. Serving in real lives are being lost—not the least of them group attempted to blow up the World Trade our government often brings verbal abuse. the more than 3,000 innocent civilians who Center using a bomb in an underground ga- Serving in the Iraqi government is often life were murdered on 9/11. rage; threatening for them and their families. And I We owe them and the men and women now August 7, 1998, bombs exploded simulta- have the utmost respect for those serving in serving on the front lines who have given the neously in front of U.S. Embassies in Kenya the U.S. military and coalition forces. ultimate sacrifice an un-repayable debt of grat- and Tanzania killing 12 U. S. citizens and in- Mr. Speaker, as a young man grows up he itude. We must live our lives in such a way as juring thousands of innocent bystanders; is often confronted with bullying and intimida- to be worthy of their sacrifice and we must On October 12, 2000, they attacked the tion. When my son, Noah, was a little boy I pick up their cause and see it through to the USS Cole while docked in Aden, Yemen killing gave him two rules on fighting. The number end. 17 sailors and injuring 70 others. one rule is: We don’t start fights. I told him if Make no mistake about it, the debate we After the loss of the World Trade Center I ever caught him bullying or picking a fight I are having today is an important one. The war and the attack on the Pentagon on September would make him regret it. Looking for a fight we wage will dictate the course of human free- 11, 2001 our military was finally ordered to is unacceptable behavior for our family. He dom for years to come. We can allow the ter- take the fight to the terrorists. asked me what the second rule was. I told him rorists to turn Iraq into a safe haven from

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00076 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11611 which they can hatch and launch their plans to nonbinding, and does not provide a viable tions contrived to seduce them and Members destroy our way of life, or we can create a sta- plan that protects our soldiers or serves our of Congress to support an act of aggression ble Iraq that is an ally to free and democratic country. against Saddam Hussein. We engaged in a nations around the globe. The general assumption is that the debate war without broad international support. Amer- At every turn the people of Afghanistan and on the global war on terrorism, GWOT, will be ica, through its actions in Iraq, reinforced the Iraq have made the right choice. Despite a full and honest debate. In fact, the process perception throughout the Middle East that the threats of violence, Iraqis voted not once but we are engaged in represents nothing more global war on terrorism is an attack on the reli- twice in national elections to establish a new than an exercise in rhetoric. H. Res. 861 is gion of Islam, and in some measure that the government with new leaders. They have now flawed because it does not reflect bipartisan- interests of the U.S. related more to controlling completed the formation of that government ship. Democrats were not allowed to offer our oil in Iraq than promoting democracy. This war and are on the brink of reclaiming their coun- substitute or amend the Republican resolution. has united our enemies and divided our try. Further, I strenuously disagree with the lan- friends. My friends, I choose to continue to support guage contained in the resolution. I reject this resolution because it does not our new friends, the Iraqi people, in their I want to strongly emphasize that the failed acknowledge that we hastily entered this war struggle. I choose to support our men and Republican policy in Iraq includes poor and unnecessarily placed our soldiers in women in uniform. And, I choose to stand planninq that left troops without critical equip- harm’s way, resulting in 2,500 deaths. steadfast in this global war on terror. ment, and provided no plan for success. The My ongoing assessments of the situation in I urge my colleagues to join with me and war in Iraq exemplifies gross mismanaqement, Iraq have caused me to conclude that it is crit- support this resolution. as evidenced by $9 billion that is either lost or ical for the House and our nation to develop Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to stolen and cannot be accounted for. There a strategy that will ensure the redeployment of support H. Res. 861 and to stand beside the has been no oversiqht of spending to date. our forces from Iraq and return them home. I members of our armed services who have gal- The Republican controlled Congress has re- support my colleague Represenative MURTHA lantly fought and died for our freedom. fused to oversee military conduct and the pol- and his calls for a reevaluation of our military Early in the morning on September 11, icy that contributed to the war. There has strategy and a return of our troops as soon as 2001, our Nation was at peace. Then at mid- been a complete lack of accountability regard- practicable. As our troops redeploy, they will morning a group of terrorists attacked us. ing this war. No investigating committee has be ready to respond to whatever challenges What had we done to deserve such an attack? ensured taxpayer dollars were legally and well our Nation may be forced to confront. We saved the world from fascism in the spent. This administration is guilty of entering Finally, I oppose H. Res. 861 because it will 1940s; then rather than punish our enemies, into no-bid contracts, totaling $17 billion to not deliver any tangible solutions to the quag- mire that engulfs our soldiers and places them we helped them rebuild their war-torn coun- Halliburton alone. tries. We saved the world from communism Let me be clear, Democrats want and de- in perpetual danger. H. Res. 861 provides the and helped those who were trapped in dark- mand a new direction in Iraq. We want a re- appearance of substantive and honest debate. ness behind the Iron Curtain see the light of sponsible redeployment of U.S. troops to take In reality, it is merely an exercise designed to freedom. We are the world’s first responders place immediately. We must redeploy and be appease the emotional and intellectual appe- tite of Americans seeking to justify what they to every emergency, but because a group of ready. believe and have been told is a real global murderous cowards hate our way of life, our I disagree with the resolution premise that the U.S. will prevail in the Global War on Ter- war on terrorism. It is not. liberty, and our compassion and values, they I urge my colleagues to vote ‘‘no’’ on H. rorism due to the fact that the ‘‘terrorist adver- attacked us. Res. 861. Last September, I traveled to Iraq and had sary’’ cannot be identified or quantified. The Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong the privilege of seeing firsthand our troops’ misguided perpetrators of terrorism consist of support of House Resolution 861, expressing brave actions in combating terrorism. I spent a disparate and loosely confederated groups, our continued dedication to the global war on great deal of time listening to them and learn- some of whom are religious zealots that justify terror and the brave men and women serving ing their perspectives. And these perspectives their terrorist actions based on their Islamic on the front lines in that war. Alongside their are contrary to what the American people hear beliefs; others are mercenaries seeking to re- counterparts from across the world, they have from the media. taliate against the U.S. for our invasion of Iraq. worked on our behalf to confront terrorist ele- Their morale is extremely high and they are The terrorists identified as members of AI ments and foster freedom in the name of proud to serve their country. They believe that Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden do not adhere peace and stability. we are winning the fight against terrorism and to a traditional command and control military I want to focus my remarks on the extraor- that perseverance and patience will ensure structure, thereby making it impossible for our dinary efforts of the Bush administration to im- our long-term victory. The most moving part of military forces to engage in traditional battle- prove our Nation’s intelligence-gathering capa- my trip came when I visited the Air Force The- field strategies. bilities and prevent future terrorist attacks. ater Hospital in Balad, Iraq. I was not sur- H. Res. 861 presents the proposition that Armed with the new tools Congress provided prised, but deeply touched, to see that all Saddam Hussein’s regime supported terrorists in the Use of Force Resolution, the USA PA- those I spoke with who were wounded in com- and posed a threat to global peace. There is TRIOT Act, and other intelligence laws, our bat were eager to return to their units. no documentation to support this premise. military, law enforcement, and intelligence Mr. Speaker, I respect every Member’s These allegations have been wholly disproved, communities have scored many successes in opinion on this extremely important subject. yet supporters of the war and the architects of the last 4 years. Their efforts to track terrorist However, I submit that we cannot say we sup- the resolution continue to propagate these networks and decipher their plans have bro- port our troops and also continue this over- mistruths. This is why today I reaffirm my ken up sinister plots here at home and around heated political rhetoric about Iraq being a steadfast opposition to another in a long list of the world. An FBI supervisor has confirmed mistake or an ‘‘un-winnable war.’’ This under- resolutions that seek to delude Americans into that the led to the breakup of an mines the efforts of our troops and jeopardizes believing that we are debating legislation that al Qaeda cell in suburban Buffalo, NY. And our mission—just as was done during the Viet- provides a clear direction to winning the so- just a few days ago, months of painstaking in- nam war. Having served on active duty for 4 called global war on terrorism. This resolution formation gathering by U.S., Iraqi, Jordanian, years in the early 50s, I understand that. does not. and other sources resulted in the killing of the Our brave men and women are winning this I oppose this resolution because it does not terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. fight for us in the streets of Baghdad so we address the fact that to date we have spent in For all the well-earned kudos that have don’t have to face terrorists on the streets of excess of $368 billion, mainly in the form of been heaped upon the military and intelligence America. As long as I am in this body, I will supplemental spending bills that are off-budget communities for their successful mission continue to fight for our troops and veterans and contribute mightily to the Federal deficit. against Zarqawi, most of their successes and I ask my colleagues to do the same. The resolution does not address that our aren’t widely known and can’t be publicly Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, President, the Secretary of State, the Sec- broadcast. The intelligence community can’t I rise in opposition to H. Res 861, the global retary of Defense, and the National Security take credit for them for fear of giving away se- war on terrorism resolution. I am opposed to Agency, NSA, all provided the American public crets about their modes and methods of gath- the resolution because it is terribly flawed, with undeniably wrong information and allega- ering this valuable information.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11612 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 Which is why the revelation in the media It also defies logic to suggest that the pri- conditions and circumstances. That was at the last year of the National Security Agency’s ter- vacy of communications with known terrorists heart of the debate over Iraq before the action rorist surveillance program was an outrageous is constitutionally protected. Just like in every was taken. breach of national security. military conflict our Nation has fought, the In 2002, a majority of Democrats voted for This leak—timed to coincide with interception of enemy communications has an alternative resolution allowing the President Congress’s debate on reauthorizing the USA been a fundamental part of the war on terror. to undertake military force in Iraq, but only PATRIOT Act—let al Qaeda and other terrorist The day after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin after first attempting a multilateral approach to groups know that the NSA had been inter- Roosevelt authorized the interception of all dealing with Saddam Hussein through the Se- cepting the international communications of in- communications into and out of the United curity Council, just as the first President Bush dividuals with links to their groups. States. That act was necessary and lawful— did in 1991. What Democrats rejected was im- Then-CIA Director Porter Goss confirmed as is this more focused interception of al plementation of an approach emphasizing the before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Qaeda communications, given the nature of use of unilateral, pre-emptive military action by the damage caused by the leak has been the enemy we face. the U.S. ‘‘very severe,’’ leading to the loss or disruption Future al Qaeda attacks on our homeland That approach has had a number of con- of some sources and methods—not to men- are likely to be conducted by operatives who sequences: terminating inspections before the tion the damage caused to our relationships are already here. Identifying and tracking them inspectors could fully disclose that there were with our intelligence counterparts in other is a sizable challenge, and it’s preposterous to no WMD; the twisting of truth about the lack countries. suggest that our intelligence professionals will of an Iraqi program of developing nuclear This program has provided valuable intel- cast such a wide net that they threaten the pri- weapons and the lack of a connection be- ligence on terrorist activities. CIA Director Mi- vacy of ordinary American citizens in doing tween the Iraqi Government and 9/11; a belief chael Hayden, who oversaw this program at this work. They don’t want useless information that military action would not only be easy to the NSA, stated ‘‘unequivocally’’ that we have that takes them off the trail of criminals and begin with, but would lead to rapid develop- obtained information through the terrorist sur- terrorists; they have neither the time nor the ment of a democracy in Iraq; inadequate veillance program that would not otherwise resources to waste. They’re constantly work- equipment to safeguard our troops from the have been available. ing against the clock to counter terrorists and dire consequences of guerilla and radical in- It’s also consistent with Congress’s direction terrorist sympathizers who are preparing to at- surgent attacks; and a vast and deep distrust that the President use ‘‘all necessary and ap- tack when and where they can. of our Nation among peoples of the Middle propriate force’’ against nations, groups, and As a special agent of the FBI, I conducted East, Europe and elsewhere. individuals found to be responsible for the 9/ wiretaps. They’re wrapped in layers of legal The situation in Iraq is not getting better. It’s 11 attacks. We have tracked and intercepted protections and never done without probable getting worse. As of today, 2,500 American calls in cases where we have reason to be- cause. The NSA’s actions simply give intel- soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Nearly lieve that at least one party in the conversa- ligence services the same wiretap authorities 18,000 of our soldiers have been wounded. tion is a member of al Qaeda. that have been available to those fighting or- Tens of thousands of Iraqis have died. Iraq is The program is also fully compliant with ex- ganized crime and drug lords. Americans not teetering on the brink of a full-fledged civil isting law, and has been reviewed by the Jus- in contact with al Qaeda can be assured that war. Sectarian killings have risen rapidly. tice Department and White House counsel their rights have not been violated. This resolution represents a seal of approval roughly every 45 days. Congress has been Even as we debate this legislation, terrorist of the Bush administration’s approach to Iraq. briefed regularly on its provisions, consistent groups are plotting to kill Americans. If the I oppose it. It is essential that we change the with the National Security Act of 1947. Chair- NSA tracks a call from a known terrorist in Af- course, not simply stay the course, and adopt man PETE HOEKSTRA has confirmed that con- ghanistan to a phone number somewhere in policies that heighten the pressure to bring gressional leadership, along with the leaders the U.S., it’s in our best interest to know who’s about that change and accelerate the reduc- of the two intelligence committees, had numer- on the other end of that call and what they’re tion of American military involvement in Iraq. ous opportunities to express concerns about talking about. Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise with respect the program. This is no time to let our guard down or to this resolution, H. Res. 861. Sadly, rather than giving the administration publicize details of our clandestine intelligence Mr. Speaker, I pride myself on being credit for working to gather intelligence and work. The fact that we have not had a major unapologetically supportive of a robust mili- ‘‘connect the dots,’’ the outrage of some in this terrorist attack in this Nation since 9/11 is no tary. I do believe that President Wilson was Congress has been directed not at those who accident. The focused efforts of our intel- correct when he said the United States can leaked information about the program, but at ligence officials have helped detect and pre- help make the world safe for democracy. I be- the NSA and the White House. Unbelievably, vent attacks, and we as a nation are safer as lieve that we must stand decisively against to- four of our colleagues in the other body even a result. They deserve our gratitude, as do all talitarianism in whatever form it takes—and introduced a resolution to censure the Presi- of our service men and women serving on our today, it takes the form of a twisted misinter- dent over this program—a program that, had behalf on all fronts in the global war on terror. pretation of Islam that is radical, extremist, it been in place before 9/11, could have led Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, the rationale for and murderous. And nothing is more important the NSA to locate and identify two of the 9/11 the Bush administration’s going to war in Iraq to me, as a member of the House Armed hijackers who settled in San Diego in 2000. has been one of shifting sands. Services Committee, than supporting and hon- It’s simply irresponsible to claim that this The first reason given for the action in Iraq oring our troops. program is outside the administration’s author- was that it was necessary because Iraq pos- Sadly and cynically, Mr. Speaker, the reso- ity, since leaders of both parties have had sessed weapons of mass destruction, which lution before us has not been drafted to unify every opportunity to express misgivings over turned out to be wrong. Then the rationale the American people around these principles. the last 41⁄2 years. Frankly, it smacks of polit- was the threat of nuclear weapons from Iraq’s It has been drafted to divide the American ical grandstanding that criticisms were raised alleged purchase of uranium from Africa, people based on politics. only after the program’s existence was leaked which also was not true and was seriously This resolution—a nonbinding sense of the to the New York Times. questioned within the Bush administration be- House—is not a policy statement. It is a polit- Some have tried to minimize the signifi- fore the military action. ical strategy. It is designed not to win the war cance of this leak, saying that terrorists obvi- Then it was said that there was a linkage in Iraq, but to win elections at home. ously know that we’re spying on them. But the between the Iraqi regime and the perpetrators First, Mr. Speaker, let there be no mistake truth is that terrorist cells need to commu- of 9/11, a claim that has never been found to about the legislative intent of this resolution. nicate, and they’ll keep using methods of com- be true. The evidence is that al Qaeda did not It is a sign of this Republican leadership that munication that they know to work—and stop have a presence in Iraq until after the Presi- they would introduce a resolution on an issue using methods that have been compromised. dent ordered military action in Iraq. as critical as the war in Iraq; then refuse to in- You can guarantee they’ll move on to other The Republicans try to paint Democratic op- clude in that resolution a single idea, a single modes of communication, now that details of position to the administration’s Iraq policies as solution, a single policy that would actually win the terrorist surveillance program have been a reflection of refusal to use force. That is ab- the war in Iraq; then refuse to allow sufficient publicized. solutely not true. It is a question of under what debate or even consideration of alternative

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11613 resolutions that would demonstrate our na- started the real war on terror—Osama Bin places our adversaries in a far better position tional resolve as well as our constructive ideas Laden. It would commit ourselves to properly to leverage the freedoms of our society on how to prevail. funding our troops so that no American citizen against us. Who can be against the resolution’s opera- has to dig into their own pockets and mail life- In seeking to prevent another 9–11, the tive statement: ‘‘Declaring that the United saving coagulants to our troops because they President and the United States Congress States will prevail in the global war on terror, were not properly equipped. would have been utterly irresponsible to ignore the struggle to protect freedom from the ter- Indeed, Mr. Speaker, if those who wrote this the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in Iraq. rorist adversary’’? resolution spent more time unifying us around It is important to note that in 1998, President Who can be against the clause in the reso- those principles and less time dividing us on Clinton ordered U.S. Armed Forces to strike lution that states that we ‘‘Honor the sacrifices political rhetoric, we might be out of Iraq by military and security targets in Iraq because of the United States Armed Forces’’ . . . that now, and relentlessly finding, capturing and Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weap- we ‘‘call upon the nations of the world to pro- killing those who masterminded the attacks on ons programs posed a credible and serious mote global peace and security’’? our country in Afghanistan and elsewhere. threat. But the Republican leadership, in their cal- Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, this But I am not here to argue the case for war lous attempt to politicize the war in Iraq has resolution equates the Global War on Terror today. The United States and our coalition inserted other language that is troubling. with the War in Iraq, which is in fact a diver- partners made judgments to enter Iraq based A clause I find questionable, Mr. Speaker, is sion from the Global War on Terror. Our pres- on the best available evidence, and now the this: ‘‘Whereas Iraqi security forces are taking ence in Iraq has weakened our Armed Forces commitment is ours to complete. We are all in over from United States and Coalition forces a and reduced our ability to respond to more ur- this together. The successful progression of growing proportion of independent operations gent threats. our commitment in Iraq, from which I remain and increasingly lead the fight to secure Iraq’’; Without exception, I have voted for every convinced that an abrupt withdrawal of U.S. In fact, Mr. Speaker, there are reports that Iraq supplemental funding resolution, as I am troops would do more harm than good, is vital Iraqi Security Forces are not significantly lead- determined to ensure that our troops in the to achieving national security for America, sta- ing independent operations. Proportionately, field are properly equipped and protected. This bility and hope for all peoples of the Middle Iraqi security forces are performing fewer com- resolution, however, is not about supporting East, and establishing the prospects for civil bat operations than just 6 months ago. the troops; it is about attempting to score reform and long-term peace throughout the Mr. Speaker, the Majority should have points for partisan political gain. world. worked on a bipartisan basis to write a plan to I will not vote for a document that says we While our mission continues to be dan- find Osama Bin Laden, and catch or kill him. should simply stay the course in Iraq. Contrary gerous and costly, it continues to make strong If the Republican Majority wanted near una- to the misguided assertions of this resolution, progress as well. The recent establishment of nimity, they would have removed these redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq as soon as democratic institutions in Iraq is without cul- clauses, or at least refined them. They would practicable is in fact in our national interest, tural or historical precedent. This fact, com- have allowed us to offer alternative language. and 2006 should be a period of significant bined with rapid progress on the deployment They would have offered to hold bipartisan transition toward full Iraqi sovereignty, as stat- of Iraqi security forces, gives us realistic hope consultations to find language that would unite ed in last year’s defense authorization law. of diminishing conflict and a stable foundation Congress and the American people. Regrettably, this resolution reaffirms the ad- for the prospects of long-term peace. Instead, they put partisanship ahead of bi- ministration’s flawed, stay-the-course policy As we proceed with our obligation, may partisanship on an issue that demands co- and conduct of the war, neither of which has each one of us endeavor to discharge our re- operation from both sides of the aisle: the war ever measured up to the valor and profes- sponsibilities in a manner that is worthy of the on terror, the war in Iraq, the well-being of our sionalism of the brave service men and sacrifices of the United States Armed Forces. troops, the honor of their sacrifices. women of our Armed Forces. Our troops con- And may each of us recall that this obliga- Mr. Speaker, let me make two final points. tinue to make America very proud while serv- tion is ultimately connected to the mantle of First, about the importance of honoring our ing in harm’s way in defense of our liberty. leadership that has fallen to the United troops. I passionately agree with the resolu- They deserve better than a cynical attempt at States—not only for our own welfare, but for tion’s call for honoring our troops. In fact, partisan exploitation. the welfare of the entire world. while the House debated this resolution on the Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, on June Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, instead of floor yesterday, I secured a public commitment 6 we commemorated D-day, the day that finding, capturing, or killing the man who vi- from the Army at an Armed Services Com- American military forces stormed the coast of ciously attacked our country almost 5 years mittee hearing that they would end the short- France 62 years ago to turn the tide in one of ago, the administration misled our country and ages of life-saving coagulant products that the most brutal conflicts the world has ever sent 150,000 troops to war with a country help our soldiers from bleeding to death. known. The United States sustained 6,603 without any credible link to 9/11. Mr. Speaker, Every day for the past 2 weeks I have been casualties that day, yet the final victory over the resolution before us mentions Iraq 18 working on this issue. the forces of fascism remained nearly a year times, but it does not mention Osama bin It is proper that we pass a non-binding reso- away. Laden even once. Not only can we not find bin lution honoring our troops. But I have secured Rows of silent graves at the American Mili- Laden in Afghanistan, but we can’t find him in a commitment from the Army to bind their tary Cemetery in Normandy bear witness to this resolution either. wounds. So I will not take second place to the high price of freedom. They solemnly re- If the other side of the aisle is serious about anyone in this body on the issue of supporting mind us that there is no substitute for perse- a resolution on the Global War on Terror, they and honoring our troops. And I am insulted verance and sacrifice if we are to prevail over would be better served to get their target cor- that some of the very same people who rail threats which challenge this Nation and the rect. about not degrading the morale of our troops world today. Mr. Speaker, we all support the troops—our will use the vote on this resolution to degrade The Global War on Terror is a different war brave men and women who selflessly and the morale of our troops. from the wars of the past. This is not a war bravely put themselves in harm’s way. That Second, Mr. Speaker, instead of passing of uniformed armies on clearly defined battle- point is not for debate. I carry the troops in my non-binding resolutions that are political docu- fields. It is a war that invades tranquil space heart every day, and I hope that we work for ments, let us pass a binding policy to win the and time without warning, carried out by those their safe return home as soon as possible. war on terror. The resolution we should be who hide among and behind civilian popu- This is a time of great anxiety in America, voting on today would require the President to lations, seeking to exploit the vulnerable for especially for the families of our men and certify to Congress that number of Iraqi forces ruthless purposes. women in uniform, who, as we speak, are that have reached combat proficiency, and re- While we have endured the sacrifice of serving our country thousands of miles from deploy an equivalent number of U.S. forces. It global wars during the past, we have never home, in unfamiliar and often hostile lands. would commit some of those forces to con- before waged such a war in an age of Today’s debate should have been centered taining the growing resurgence of the Taliban globalization, in an age when technology evis- around a bipartisan resolution that would have in Afghanistan and finding, once and for all, cerates the concept of distance, magnifies our allowed all of us to be on the record in support the murderer who escaped our grasp and losses, trivializes our accomplishments, and of our troops and against those who would

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11614 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 seek to do harm to Americans at home and mains for our troops to accomplish in Iraq. the year 2002 with an un-inspected 4-year in- abroad. How many Iraqi soldiers, as the President terval during which time we know through in- Instead what the Republican Majority has himself might say, need to ‘‘stand up before telligence he not only has kept them, but he brought before us today not only confuses the our military stands down?’’ To what extent continues to grow them. . . . The threat of War in Iraq with the Global War on Terror, but must the insurgency be defeated? How many Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass de- it is also a transparent effort to divide this attacks per day or per week will we tolerate? struction is real, but as I said, it is not new.’’ body by saying to those who want to start Most importantly, how many more young Sen. JOHN KERRY (D.-Mass.), floor speech, bringing the troops home that we do not sup- Americans are to give the ultimate sacrifice for Oct. 9, 2002. port the national security interests of the a cause that has yet to be defined? ‘‘On Monday night, President Bush, I think United States. That is simply not true. I am a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, spoke for all of us. I know of no one who real- After the terrorist attacks against this coun- and a strong supporter of Representative ly disagrees at all. He described Saddam Hus- try on September 11, 2001, we united behind MURTHA’s legislation; H.J. Res. 73, which calls sein as a homicidal dictator who is addicted to the effort to remove the Taliban in Afghani- for the redeployment of troops from Iraq. Rep- weapons of mass destruction. It is that addic- stan. That country has made great strides by resentative MURTHA is one of this body’s tion that demands a strong response. We all electing a government, establishing a constitu- greatest champions for our fighting men and agree on that. There is no question that Iraq tion that grants equal rights to men and women. As a veteran, he knows firsthand the possesses biological and chemical weapons women, and opening schools for children who dangers of war. and that he seeks to acquire additional weap- were denied an education by the Taliban. Our I have the greatest admiration for the Na- ons of mass destruction, including nuclear investment in the reconstruction and develop- tion’s service men and women. We all thank weapons.’’ Sen. CHRIS DODD (D.-Conn.), floor ment of Afghanistan was both the right thing them for their service. speech, Oct. 9, 2002. to do and critical to our security. I only wish that we had the opportunity to ‘‘I believe if Saddam Hussein continues to Yet our job there is not finished. Much re- vote for a resolution that honors the troops but refuse to meet his obligation to destroy his mains to be done to improve security. And leaves out the political tricks and traps that weapons of mass destruction and his prohib- most importantly, the hunt for Osama bin should not be a part of this debate. ited missile delivery systems, that the United Laden continues. Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sup- Nations should authorize member states to Critical resources that should have been fo- port of the men and women bravely defending use military force to destroy those weapons cused on this mission have instead been used our country against terrorism and tyranny. and systems.’’ Sen. CARL LEVIN (D.-Mich.), in Iraq, a war that was a conclusion in search Regarding U.S. and allied actions against floor speech, Oct. 9, 2002. of a reason, a war of choice rather than of ne- Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, I believe it was appro- ‘‘He [Saddam Hussein] stockpiles biological cessity. and chemical weapons.’’ Sen. Jon Corzine Time and again, this Administration used priate for Congress on October 16, 2002 to authorize American military action and would (D.-N.J.), floor speech, Oct. 9, 2003. false and misleading information to sell the Furthermore, the Saddam Hussein regime vote again to provide President Bush this au- war to Congress and the American people. was marked by brutality, fear and terror. Over thority. The troops were sent into battle without basic 270 suspected mass grave sites have been The question of whether Saddam Hussein equipment, like body armor, night vision gog- found by Iraqis and U.S. and allied forces. On had weapons of mass destruction, WMD, is a gles, and armored Humvees. We have been September 23, 2004, Iraqi interim Prime Min- moot point and a distraction from a host of playing catch-up ever since to ensure that ister Ayad Allawi said, ‘‘Like almost every evidence that the United States was justified U.S. soldiers are adequately protected as they Iraqi, I have many friends who were murdered, in its actions against the former Iraqi regime. serve in Iraq. Just today, the Pentagon an- tortured or raped by the regime of Saddam The facts are that Saddam Hussein had the nounced that 2,500 soldiers have been killed Hussein. Well over 1 million Iraqis were mur- in Iraq. How high will this number go? capability to produce WMDs and had weapons dered or are missing. We estimate at least Crucially, we invaded Iraq without a plan to in defiance of United Nations agreements to 300,000 are in mass graves which stand as win the peace and without enough soldiers to deliver nuclear, biological or chemical war- monuments to the inhumanity of Saddam’s re- secure a country nearly the size of Texas. In heads. gime.’’ fact, rather than listen to Army Chief of Staff In fact, neither I nor the President knew for The brutality of the former Iraqi regime knew Eric Shinseki, who suggested that as many as certain whether Saddam had WMDs at the no bounds. Victims of Saddam’s torture cham- 300,000 troops were required to properly se- time of our actions against Iraq. Many of us bers were subjected to vicious acts such as cure postwar Iraq, the Administration ignored suspected he did possess that capability. Let the gouging-out of eyes, severe beatings, him and fired him. me quote a few. electric shock, dismemberment and the cutting This Administration has repeatedly under- ‘‘Saddam Hussein possesses chemical, bio- out of tongues. Documented chemical attacks estimated the war’s cost, which is being fund- logical weapons, and if events are allowed to by the regime from 1983 to 1988 resulted in ed with emergency spending instead of run their course, will someday possess nu- some 30,000 Iraqi and Iranian deaths. Human through the regular budget process. Rather clear weapons.’’ Sen. EVAN BAYH (D.-Ind.), Rights Watch estimates that Saddam’s 1987 than hold top advisers accountable for critical statement, Oct. 3, 2002. to 1988 campaign of terror against the Kurds and fundamental lapses in judgment, the ‘‘I believe that Saddam Hussein rules by ter- killed at least 50,000. Saddam’s ruthlessness President praised, retained and even pro- ror and has squirreled away stores of biologi- even extended to his own family in which he moted them. cal and chemical weapon[s].’’ Sen. DIANNE had approximately 40 of his own relatives And the Administration and Congress have FEINSTEIN (D.-Calif.), floor speech, Oct. 10, murdered. both failed to conduct any sort of real over- 2002. Today there are many Monday morning Iraq sight of this bungled war effort. Billions of dol- ‘‘The people of the United States and the quarterbacks. The U.S. did win the war lars have been passed to companies like Halli- rest of the world are at risk as long as Sad- against Iraq and captured Saddam Hussein. burton through no-bid contracts, unnecessarily dam Hussein has weapons of mass destruc- However, America and its allies have had dif- bilking the American taxpayers, but no one tion. Last night, the President . . . made the ficulty in controlling insurgent attacks. has been held accountable. The incompetence most effective case to date that the risk of in- No one anticipated Islamic extremists would in the Administration surrounding the mis- action is too great to bear.’’ Sen. JAY ROCKE- make a stand bringing in al-Qaeda, Baathists management of this war is simply jaw-drop- FELLER (D.-W. Va.), statement, March 18, and others. No one anticipated civil conflict ping. 2003. between the Shi’a, Sunni and Kurd popu- All of us are relieved that Abu Musab al- ‘‘For the last 12 years he’s [Saddam’s] ig- lations. However President Bush, Secretary Zarqawi can no longer lead and carry out at- nored UN resolutions and embargoes while re- Rumsfeld and U.S. military leaders have done tacks against American troops and innocent building his illegal chemical and biological their very best in a difficult situation and de- Iraqi citizens. Yet we cannot ignore the fact weapons. . . . He is dangerous. I believe he serve our support and continued backing. that Zarqawi gained support for his violent needs to be disarmed.’’ Sen. BARBARA MIKUL- Yes, we all want our troops home and an acts because of the instability in Iraq after SKI (D.-Md.), floor speech, March 18, 2003. end to terrorism. Rhetoric and unwarranted Saddam Hussein was removed from power. ‘‘In 1991, the world collectively made a judg- criticism will not make that happen. We have repeatedly asked the President to ment that this man should not have weapons Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today tell the American people what, specifically, re- of mass destruction. And we are here today in to pledge my unwavering support of our

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00080 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11615 troops, and of our efforts to fight terrorism get what the news is reporting as ‘‘Republican generals have cast a vote of no confidence around the world. election year strategy.’’ Mr. Speaker, this cha- with our civilian leadership of the Defense De- However, I rise in strong opposition to the rade represents a shameless dereliction of our partment for its lack of planning: Bush administration’s handling of the war and duties and a missed opportunity to provide the Rumsfeld and his team turned what should reconstruction in Iraq, as well as the Repub- American public with the open and honest de- have been a deliberate victory in Iraq into a lican controlled Congress’s inadequate over- bate they have been demanding for the past prolonged challenge.—Major General John sight of the administration’s policies. Batiste. 3 long years now. I do not believe Secretary Rumsfeld is the The International Relations Committee, on This feel-good resolution ignores the issues right person to fight that war, based on his which I sit, has held only two hearings this most important to the men and women serving absolute failures in managing the war year regarding Iraq—a woefully insufficient in Iraq, their families and the taxpayers who against Saddam in Iraq.—Major General number. have already been billed nearly half a trillion Charles H. Swannack, Jr. The committee and this Congress should be dollars. They only need the military advice when it functioning more like the bipartisan Truman It ignores the issues raised by some of our satisfies their agenda.—Lieutenant General John Riggs Commission did in the 1940s—a pro-troop, most respected generals. Just listen to what a If I was President I would have relieved pro-taxpayer, pro-American committee that few have said about the Administration’s rush him three years ago.—Lieutenant General conducted serious and meaningful oversight to to war: Paul K. Van Riper ensure that our troops were supported and our ‘‘We are paying the price for the lack of Two and a half more years of that leader- tax dollars used wisely. credible planning, or the lack of a plan.’’— ship was too long for my nation, for my That commission focused on two things: General Anthony Zinni Army, and for my family.—Major General first, prewar and ongoing day-to-day oper- ‘‘What we are living with now is the con- Paul Eaton ations of World War II ‘‘with a view toward ex- sequences of successive policy failures.’’— Mr. Speaker, we need to be working non- Lieutenant General Greg Newbold posing deficiencies so that corrective action stop to bring our troops home as soon as pos- ‘‘They pressed for open warfare before the sible, not to score political points while they could be applied’’; second, it focused on post- diplomacy was finished. It was a tragic mis- war activities, including investigations of ex- take. It’s a strategic blunder.’’—General are fighting a war. And we need to be working cess profits, fraud, mismanagement, and inef- Wesley Clark to keep them as safe as possible until they ficiencies. are home. This resolution ignores the lack of account- For starters, we need to send a loud mes- It is irresponsible for this Congress to not in- ability and oversight that’s led to some of the vestigate the President’s lack of an exit strat- sage to the insurgents that we will not occupy most egregious and embarrassing examples Iraq and that we will not control Iraq’s oil—a egy, and the fraud, waste, and abuse of U.S. of waste, fraud and abuse on record, such as: tax dollars. message that we want to leave Iraq as much $9 billion in missing reconstruction funds. as they want us to leave. Instead, Mr. Speak- Mr. Speaker, it is not only our constitutional $263 million in excessive or unsubstantiated obligation to provide real and meaningful over- er, the President has given every impression costs for importing gasoline into Iraq. that the U.S. military has become an occu- sight into the Bush administration’s policies in Over $20 million for items that weren’t deliv- Iraq, it is our patriotic duty to question the pying force. We are in the process of building ered, including: a gigantic new U.S. embassy in Baghdad that President’s mishandling of this war and recon- Security for civilian flights at Baghdad Inter- struction. will span 104 acres, the size of nearly 80 foot- national Airport that never occurred; non- ball fields. This does not give the impression Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, existent pipeline employees; old and broken this resolution will not ensure any success in that we are winding things down in Iraq. It down trucks; spray-painted Iraqi cranes says to insurgents that we want a permanent Iraq. It will not bring our troops home. It will passed off as new; police trucks; and a refur- only signal the death of true, honest debate military presence and it serves as a recruiting bished police academy and library. And mil- tool to sign up more insurgents. Moreover, it within the walls of this great Chamber. lions more have been wasted at taxpayer ex- provides no incentives for the Iraqi govern- For many more years than any of us have pense due to no-bid and over-billed contracts been alive, this House, the People’s House, ment to assume more responsibility for the se- awarded by the Bush administration. curity of its country. has been democracy’s citadel for intelligent, This resolution ignores how the civilian lead- On my last visit to Iraq everyone I spoke meaningful, real debate that has led to solu- ership of the Defense Department grossly mis- with—privates, sergeants and the officers in tions to some of history’s most important and calculated the armor and equipment needs of charge of training the Iraqi security forces— vexing crises. our troops before sending them into combat, want the Iraqis to assume more of the security The charade that many on this floor are at- which resulted in: responsibilities. Our military has done its job— tempting to pass as a debate today does a 40,000 troops who didn’t have basic Kevlar more often than not in two, three or four tours great disservice to those monumental Amer- vests or the ceramic plates needed for full pro- of deployment—an unconscionable demand ican leaders who have spoken from this same tection, which left parents and spouses to buy on our troops, an unconscionable demand on floor over the past two centuries. It does a body armor for their loved ones; their families and an unconscionable demand great disservice to the American public, which 30,000 Marines who needed twice as many on their communities. And make no mistake— expects its leaders to lead, not pander. And it heavy machine guns, more fully protected ar- it’s taking a toll on our military. Continuous de- does a great disservice to our military men mored vehicles and more communications ployment in Iraq has hurt military personnel and women who are depending on us to work equipment to perform their operations suc- and their families, and strained recruiting and together and complete our mission so that cessfully; retention. Consider some of the latest statis- they may complete their mission and come Soldiers who were issued boots with cheap tics on active duty personnel and selected re- home. Today’s so called debate is politics at and soft soles that quickly wore out, thus hav- serves as well as on recruiting and retention: its worst—we’re playing politics while U.S. ing to sew material to the bottom of their boots Each month the equivalent of one battalion men and women are being killed, wounded out of desperation; is lost due to deaths and wounds. and kept away from their families. Soldiers who went to combat with inad- All the Army’s available active duty combat Mr. Speaker, I remember lying in a military equate or poor field radios, ammo carriers, brigades have served at least a 12-month tour hospital bed just home from Vietnam while weapon lubricant, socks and even rifle slings; in Iraq or Afghanistan. Congress played politics—it was disdainful Military units that were deployed without the At least half of those combat brigades have then and when I think of those brave men and necessary armor needed to protect ground ve- completed their second tour of duty. women I’ve visited at Walter Reed Hospital, hicles, making them vulnerable to IEDs. And By next year the Army projects that it will be Bethesda Hospital and Ramstein Hospital in when our troops jerry-rigged them with steel short 3,500 active duty officers, primarily cap- Germany—it makes me sick today. Let’s do playing, they often flipped or rolled-over, injur- tains and majors. our job and bring our troops home as soon as ing or killing soldiers; Approximately 3,500 airmen, as well as sail- possible. And soldiers who subsequently had to sift ors, are currently performing Army missions For weeks we have been told, and the through garbage dumps for scrap metal to they were not adequately trained to do. American people have been promised, by the uparmor ground vehicles. Ninety-seven percent of the National Guard Republican majority that there would be a de- Mr. Speaker, if you are in charge, you are combat and special operations battalions have bate on this floor on the Iraq war. Instead, we responsible. That is why several respected been mobilized since September 11th.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00081 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 9920 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 11616 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 June 16, 2006 The average tour for National Guard mem- terror will do nothing to solve the problem that Herger McHenry Royce Herseth McHugh Ryan (WI) bers is 342 days. is before us today. Nor will it correct this Higgins McIntyre Ryun (KS) Continuous deployment has damaged readi- body’s failure to provide its constitutional over- Hobson McKeon Salazar ness for mission skills necessary in the war on sight responsibility that has led to the billions Hoekstra McMorris Saxton terror outside those required in Iraq. Consider of American taxpayer dollars that have either Holden Melancon Schmidt Hostettler Mica Schwarz (MI) some of the latest statistics: been misused or remain unaccounted for in Hulshof Miller (FL) Shadegg Forty percent of all the Army’s and Marine our efforts to rebuild Iraq. Hunter Miller (MI) Shaw Corps’ ground equipment is deployed to Iraq. Mr. Speaker, global terrorism remains a Hyde Miller, Gary Shays Inglis (SC) Moore (KS) Sherwood That equipment is wearing out 2 to 9 time’s grave national security threat to the United Issa Moran (KS) Shimkus peacetime rate. States. However, the war in Iraq and this reso- Istook Murphy Shuster Humvees that are designed for 14 years of lution is a distraction from our struggle against Jenkins Musgrave Simmons operation needs are being overhauled or re- terrorism. As the President continues his stay Jindal Myrick Simpson Johnson (CT) Neugebauer Smith (NJ) placed in just 3 years. the course strategy in Iraq, the Taliban is re- Johnson (IL) Ney Smith (TX) The Army has lost over 100 tanks and ar- gaining strength in Afghanistan. If we are to Keller Northup Smith (WA) mored vehicles and over 1,000 vehicles since prevail in the war on terrorism we must Kelly Norwood Snyder the start of the war. Kennedy (MN) Nunes Sodrel refocus our efforts on terrorist hotbeds, such Kind Osborne Souder If the war in Iraq ended today, it would take as Afghanistan. King (IA) Otter Spratt the Army more than 2 years to repair or re- The brave men and women of the U.S. King (NY) Oxley Stearns place its damaged equipment. Armed Forces are the best-equipped, best- Kingston Pearce Sullivan The Marine Corps has determined that Kirk Pence Sweeney trained and most professional fighting forces in Kline Peterson (MN) Tancredo equipment deployed to Iraq has suffered such the world. They have been performing their Knollenberg Peterson (PA) Taylor (MS) significant damage and wear and tear that 80 jobs courageously and honorably and their Kolbe Petri Taylor (NC) percent of it will need to be replaced. Kuhl (NY) Pickering Terry morale remains high. These men and women LaHood Pitts Thomas In excess of $50 billion is needed to repair deserve our thanks and our respect. They de- Larsen (WA) Platts Thompson (MS) and replace equipment damaged or lost in serve better than this sham resolution. Latham Poe Thornberry Iraq for the Army and Marine Corps. Mr. Speaker, give this House back to the LaTourette Pombo Tiahrt Mr. Speaker, stay the course is not a strat- Lewis (KY) Porter Tiberi people for real debate on our policy in Iraq. Linder Price (GA) Turner egy for success and we’re not doing our job The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lipinski Pryce (OH) Upton by being a rubber stamp for the Administra- FOLEY). Pursuant to House Resolution LoBiondo Putnam Walden (OR) tion. Each day, it becomes more apparent that Lucas Radanovich Walsh 868, the resolution is considered read Lungren, Daniel Ramstad Wamp the Administration does not have, nor has it and the previous question is ordered on E. Regula Weldon (FL) ever had, a clear, concise and realistic strat- the resolution and on the preamble. Lynch Rehberg Weldon (PA) egy for ending large scale U.S. involvement in The question is on the resolution. Mack Renzi Weller Iraq. The American people deserve a clear ex- Manzullo Reynolds Westmoreland The question was taken; and the Marchant Rogers (AL) Whitfield planation of what we are doing in Iraq. They Speaker pro tempore announced that Marshall Rogers (KY) Wicker deserve to know what the President is going Matheson Rogers (MI) Wilson (SC) the ayes appeared to have it. McCarthy Rohrabacher Wolf to do to reduce the incredible physical, emo- Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, on that tional and financial burden that all Americans McCaul (TX) Ros-Lehtinen Young (AK) I demand the yeas and nays. McCrery Ross Young (FL) are bearing. If this Congress and the Presi- The yeas and nays were ordered. dent expect the American people to continue NAYS—153 The vote was taken by electronic de- making these sacrifices, then there must be a Abercrombie Gonzalez Michaud vice, and there were—yeas 256, nays strategy for success. Ackerman Green, Al Millender- 153, answered ‘‘present’’ 5, not voting Allen Grijalva McDonald Mr. Speaker, we must set the bar and iden- 19, as follows: Andrews Harman Miller, George tify what it will take for us to accomplish the Baca Hastings (FL) Mollohan mission in Iraq. When the Iraqi people con- [Roll No. 288] Baird Hinchey Moore (WI) YEAS—256 Baldwin Hinojosa Moran (VA) clude the process of amending their constitu- Becerra Holt Murtha tion, or by September 30, 2006, we must Aderholt Camp (MI) Everett Berkley Honda Nadler begin the process of redeployment as soon as Akin Campbell (CA) Feeney Blumenauer Hooley Napolitano Alexander Cantor Ferguson Brady (PA) Hoyer Neal (MA) practicable. This is a workable approach that Baker Capito Fitzpatrick (PA) Brown (OH) Inslee Oberstar tracks a timeline set by the Administration. Barrett (SC) Cardoza Flake Brown, Corrine Israel Obey That is why I have introduced H. Con. Res. Barrow Case Foley Butterfield Jackson (IL) Olver 348, which would do just that. This legislation Bartlett (MD) Castle Forbes Capps Jackson-Lee Ortiz Barton (TX) Chabot Fortenberry Capuano (TX) Owens is a bipartisan, comprehensive plan to rede- Bass Chandler Fossella Cardin Jefferson Pallone ploy American forces out of Iraq and send a Bean Chocola Foxx Carnahan Johnson, E. B. Pascrell clear message to the Iraqi people that the Beauprez Coble Franks (AZ) Carson Jones (OH) Pastor Berman Cole (OK) Frelinghuysen Clay Kanjorski Paul United States has no plans to be a permanent Berry Conaway Gallegly Clyburn Kaptur Payne occupying force and we have no designs on Biggert Cooper Garrett (NJ) Conyers Kennedy (RI) Pelosi Iraqi oil. Six Republicans have signed onto Bilbray Costa Gerlach Crowley Kildee Pomeroy this bill. This bipartisan measure has been in- Bilirakis Costello Gibbons Cummings Kucinich Price (NC) Bishop (GA) Cramer Gilchrest Davis (AL) Langevin Rahall troduced in the Senate (S. Con. Res. 93), Blackburn Crenshaw Gillmor Davis (CA) Lantos Rangel making it the only bicameral approach to Iraq. Blunt Cubin Gingrey Davis (FL) Larson (CT) Reyes Mr. Speaker, I did not support the Presi- Boehlert Cuellar Gohmert Davis (IL) Leach Rothman Boehner Culberson Goode DeFazio Lee Roybal-Allard dent’s plan to invade Iraq. I considered it to be Bonilla Davis (KY) Goodlatte DeGette Levin Ruppersberger an unnecessary distraction from hunting down Bonner Davis (TN) Gordon Delahunt Lewis (GA) Rush those responsible for the attacks of September Bono Davis, Jo Ann Granger DeLauro Lofgren, Zoe Ryan (OH) 11th. But, as the U.S. has entered its fourth Boozman Davis, Tom Graves Dicks Lowey Sabo Boren Deal (GA) Green (WI) Doggett Maloney Sa´ nchez, Linda year in Iraq, this is where we are and now we Boswell Dent Green, Gene Doyle Markey T. must find a rational and reasonable way out of Boucher Diaz-Balart, L. Gutknecht Duncan Matsui Sanchez, Loretta this mess. Boustany Diaz-Balart, M. Hall Emanuel McCollum (MN) Sanders Mr. Speaker, this is not an honest debate Bradley (NH) Doolittle Harris Engel McDermott Schakowsky Brady (TX) Drake Hart Eshoo McGovern Schiff about this important issue and while the ma- Brown (SC) Dreier Hastert Farr McKinney Schwartz (PA) jority plays politics our men and women serv- Brown-Waite, Edwards Hastings (WA) Fattah McNulty Scott (GA) ing in Iraq are in terrible danger. Ginny Ehlers Hayes Filner Meehan Scott (VA) Burgess Emerson Hayworth Ford Meek (FL) Serrano Rhetorical attempts to obfuscate failed tac- Buyer English (PA) Hefley Frank (MA) Meeks (NY) Skelton tical decisions in Iraq with the global war on Calvert Etheridge Hensarling

VerDate Sep 11 2014 15:19 Mar 24, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00082 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\FDSYS\BOUNDRECORD\BR16JN06.DAT BR16JN06 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD June 16, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE, Vol. 152, Pt. 9 11617 Slaughter Towns Watson supporting terrorism. The terrorists and their a vote. I know you must have consid- Solis Udall (CO) Watt state-sponsors do not want democracy to ered this. Stark Udall (NM) Weiner Strickland Van Hollen Wexler flourish over there, because they know their Mr. BOEHNER. If the gentleman Stupak Vela´ zquez Woolsey days will be numbered if democracy succeeds. would yield. Tanner Visclosky Wu The killing of Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al- Mr. HOYER. I yield to my friend. Tauscher Wasserman Wynn Thompson (CA) Schultz Zarqawi shows that our young men and Mr. BOEHNER. We have discussed it. Tierney Waters women fighting over there are making the ter- It is somewhat problematic, but I ANSWERED ‘‘PRESENT’’—5 rorist days numbered, in my opinion. think what I would say to my col- I would like to just make one quote from Sir league is let me keep working with you Boyd McCotter Sherman Jones (NC) Miller (NC) Winston Churchill, when I think about my col- to see if we can’t come to some agree- leagues on the other side of the aisle and they ment. I think 6 o’clock would be too NOT VOTING—19 start talking about how we have to get out of late but 5:30 may work. We will con- Bachus Dingell Reichert there right now. Sir Winston Churchill, who tinue to work with you on that. Bishop (NY) Evans Sensenbrenner Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman. I Bishop (UT) Gutierrez Sessions was one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Burton (IN) Johnson, Sam Waxman century, he said in a speech that he made en- look forward to working with him on Cannon Kilpatrick (MI) Wilson (NM) titled ‘‘We Shall Fight on the Beaches,’’ which this to accommodate those Members on Carter Lewis (CA) the west coast in particular. Cleaver Nussle is very famous, he says: ‘‘Wars are not won by evacuations.’’ You do not win by retreating. There is a change in the announced ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE f schedule with regard to first votes, as The SPEAKER pro tempore (during we have discussed, and I appreciate the vote). Members are advised that 2 REMOVAL OF NAME OF MEMBER your responding to that. minutes remain in this vote. AS COSPONSOR OF H.R. 4157 With respect to the Labor-Health b 1117 Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unan- bill, it was our expectation that the imous consent that my name be with- Labor-Health-Education appropriations Mr. OBERSTAR and Mr. KENNEDY drawn as a cosponsor of H.R. 4157, the bill, which was reported out of com- of Rhode Island changed their vote Health Information Technology Pro- mittee this week, would be on the floor from ‘‘yea’’ to ‘‘nay.’’ motion Act. this coming week. As you know, that So the resolution was agreed to. The SPEAKER. Is there objection to included within it a bipartisan-ap- The result of the vote was announced the request of the gentlewoman from proved increase in the minimum wage, as above recorded. California? by $2.10, to $7.25 over the next 30 A motion to reconsider was laid on There was no objection. months. I notice that that bill is not on the table. f the schedule for next week. Can you Stated against: tell me the status of the Health and LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, Human Services appropriations bill? on Friday, June 16, 2006, had I been present, (Mr. HOYER asked and was given I yield to my friend. I would have voted ‘‘nay’’ on H. Res. 861, the permission to address the House for 1 Mr. BOEHNER. We are continuing to resolution on the War in Iraq. minute and to revise and extend his re- work with the appropriators, trying to Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, had I been marks.) resolve some issues in order to find a present for rollcall vote 288, for H. Res. 861, Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise for way to bring it to the floor, but we do I would have voted ‘‘nay’’ on this non-binding the purposes of inquiring of the major- not expect to consider it next week. and toothless sham of a resolution, that was ity leader the calendar. Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman not a meaningful legislative document. I yield to my friend Mr. BOEHNER, the for that information. f majority leader. If I might follow it up, we would very Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I want much hope that the amendment that PERSONAL EXPLANATION to thank the whip for yielding. was adopted, and we believe is sup- Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, on June 15, Next week we will convene on Mon- ported by over 80 percent of the Amer- 2006, I was unable to be present for rollcall day at 12:30 for morning hour and 2 ican public, would be protected under vote 287 due to a family emergency. o’clock for legislative business. We will the rule. We obviously understand that On rollcall vote No. 287, if present, I would consider several measures under sus- it is legislation on an appropriation have voted ‘‘aye.’’ pension of the rules. A list of those will bill and would require a waiver, as On June 16, 2006, I was unable to be be sent out by the end of today. Any many have been given in the past. I present for rollcall vote 288 due to the same votes called on these will be rolled would respectfully request that you family emergency. until 5 p.m. on Monday. I want to re- look at that and, in light of the fact of On rollcall vote No. 288, if present, I would peat that: 5 p.m. we will vote on Mon- the bipartisan support in the com- have voted ‘‘yea.’’ day. mittee, seriously consider and hope- f For the balance of the week, the fully give a waiver so that that matter House will consider on Tuesday, the may be considered on the floor with a PERSONAL EXPLANATION Department of Defense appropriation vote by the membership. Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I was bill; Wednesday, the Voting Rights If you have any comment, I would be regrettably unable to be on the House Floor Act, the reauthorization and several glad to yield. for rollcall vote 288, final passage of H. Res. amendments; and on Thursday, we will Mr. BOEHNER. I understand your in- 861: Declaring that the United States will pre- do the legislative line item veto. terest. vail in the Global War on Terror, the struggle I will remind Members there are no Mr. HOYER. It will be continuing. I to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary. votes next Friday. thank you. Had I been able to be here I would have voted Mr. HOYER. I thank the leader for We understood next week was sup- ‘‘aye’’ on rollcall vote 288. his information. posed to be health care week. Yet no We are in a world war against terrorism, a The leader and I had a brief conversa- health care legislation is listed. For ex- world war, and Iraq is a major battlefield of tion, as you recall, with reference to ample, the Health IT or the bill au- that war right now. The reason we are not the time when we would vote on Mon- thored by Mr. SHADEGG are not on your being attacked in large part here in the United day. I know that you have considered announcement. When do you anticipate States, in my opinion, is because our your that, but I would again reiterate, as we may see either of these pieces of men and women in uniform serving in Iraq are you know, one of the problems is in legislation on the floor? making sacrifices over there, in the middle of order for a Member on the west coast Mr. BOEHNER. We were hoping to do the storm, where terrorism has its genesis, to get here, they need at least until that Health IT bill next week. We have where Iran and Syria and other countries are 5:30 to be assured of being available for got some scoring issues and some what

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