DOCSLIB.ORG

Congressional Record—House H1571

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Congressional Record—House H1571 February 14, 2007 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H1571 nothing to influence our strategy or We have three options to follow. The have the collective will to send one of our direction in the global war with first is to stay the course. I don’t know our own. radical jihadists. of anyone, including the President, The bipartisan resolution before us Secondly, it ill defines the enemy. It who is suggesting we take that route. asks the Members one straightforward does not recognize that we are in a The second is to increase the troops question to be answered. Do you ap- global war with radical jihadists who level, which the supporters of House prove of the President’s proposal to de- have attacked us around the world. Concurrent Resolution 63 are saying no ploy more than 20,000 additional troops Third, it omits recognizing key U.S. to. The only other option is to reduce in Iraq, or do you not? Thus, this reso- personnel that are serving, and serving troops. lution is a clarifying moment for the ably, in this global war with radical I would ask you who will support Members to say precisely where they jihadists. Why does it not recognize our House Concurrent Resolution 63, read stand on the President’s plan. intelligence professionals? Why does it the Baker-Hamilton report, a bipar- There is little doubt that our Iraq not recognize our Armed Forces and in- tisan report, that talks about the ef- policy is not succeeding. Our Com- telligence professionals serving in Af- fects that will occur if we do withdraw mander in Chief, President Bush, ac- ghanistan, throughout the Middle East, from Iraq. There will be widespread vi- knowledged on this floor last month Africa and parts of Asia? olence there, more than we are seeing during his State of the Union address Finally, most ironic, the bottom line today. And they warn us that a with- that, and I quote, ‘‘Whatever you voted of this resolution tells the President to drawal may require the U.S. to engage, for, you did not vote for failure.’’ stay the course. That is not good once again, in Iraq to stabilize that I voted for the authorization, and I enough. This is a tough enemy. We area. did not vote for failure. But the poli- need to develop and evolve our strategy So for those of you who would sup- cies being pursued by this administra- to be successful. port House Concurrent Resolution 63, I tion have not led to success. After nearly 4 years at war, after f again ask, what is your plan? ‘‘No’’ is not a plan. more than 3,100 of our finest sons and TIME TO SEND THE BUSH ADMIN- f daughters have given the ultimate ISTRATION A MESSAGE THAT A measure of sacrifice in Iraq, after more CHANGE IN DIRECTION IS NEED- IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION than 25,000 have been wounded, after ED IN IRAQ The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- the expenditure of more than $400 bil- (Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia asked and ant to section 3 of House Resolution lion on this war effort by the American was given permission to address the 157, proceedings will now resume on the taxpayer, our success seems as remote House for 1 minute.) concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 63) as ever. Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speak- disapproving of the decision of the Not surprisingly, two-thirds of the er, it is time to send a message to the President announced on January 10, American people oppose the President’s Bush administration that change is 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 addi- escalation plan. So do many current needed in Iraq. Mr. Speaker, the resolu- tional United States combat troops to and former senior military officials, tion we are debating this week here on Iraq. and Prime Minister Maliki has ex- the House floor is the first step in this The Clerk read the title of the con- pressed his disapproval as well. new Congress’ efforts to take Iraq in a current resolution. I oppose the President’s plan for sev- new direction. The SPEAKER pro tempore. When eral reasons. First, we simply cannot Last November the American people proceedings were postponed on Tues- ignore the many miscalculations made were clear that they wanted a dramatic day, February 13, 2007, time for debate by the administration about this war, change in Iraq. The President’s troop on the concurrent resolution on that from sending too few troops, to grossly escalation plan is not what they were day had expired. underestimating the cost, to failing to asking for. This week this House will Pursuant to the resolution, it is now properly plan for the postwar period. emphatically voice its opposition to in order for a further period of debate The President repeatedly said that the President’s plan. We hope that this on the concurrent resolution to extend his policies were working. He was trag- serves as a wake-up call and sends the not beyond midnight. ically wrong, just as he is wrong today, ‘‘Decider’’ a message that he can no The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. in my view, about this escalation. longer walk over Congress. We are not HOYER) and the gentleman from Michi- Secondly, this troop escalation does going to rubber-stamp his plans any gan (Mr. HOEKSTRA) each will control 5 not represent a new strategy. In fact, more. hours. we have tried at least four escalations This week’s debate is only the begin- The Chair recognizes the gentleman in the past, none of which has suc- ning, Mr. Speaker. House and Senate from Maryland. ceeded in quelling violence. committees have already conducted 52 Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I ask The time for more troops was 4 years hearings on Iraq. That is what the Con- unanimous consent to yield my time ago, 3 years ago, perhaps even 2 years gress is supposed to do, provide real for controlling the time to Mr. AN- ago, but not today. oversight on the administration. Un- DREWS or his designee. The fact is our commitment of forces fortunately for the first 3 years of this The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gen- has never, has never been commensu- war, congressional Republicans rubber- tleman from New Jersey is recognized rate with the risk the President says stamped the Decider’s Iraq plan. as the designee of the gentleman from exists. Never has the President, the Those days are over. Mr. Speaker, we Maryland. Commander in Chief, suggested the re- have an obligation to find a new course Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield sources necessary to succeed. This is in Iraq, and a military solution is now 1 minute to the distinguished majority too little, tragically, too late. Third, we cannot disregard the deep out of the question. And that is why leader, Mr. HOYER of Maryland. (Mr. HOYER asked and was given skepticism and warnings of our mili- this troop escalation plan should be de- permission to revise and extend his re- tary leaders. General Abizaid, not just feated. marks.) another soldier, but the former chief of f Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, 3 months the Central Command in charge of our b 1030 ago, the American people sent a re- effort in Iraq, has stated that, and I sounding message, a message for quote, ‘‘More American forces prevent WHAT IS YOUR PLAN? change. They voted for a new direction the Iraqis from doing more, from tak- (Mr. SALI asked and was given per- in our Nation, including a new direc- ing more responsibility for their own mission to address the House for 1 tion for the war in Iraq, which will future.’’ That is the consequence Gen- minute.) enter its fifth year next month. eral Abizaid believes of the President’s Mr. SALI. Mr. Speaker, for those who This week on this House floor the policy. would support House Concurrent Reso- Members of this great body can dem- Former Secretary of State Powell, lution 63, I ask, what is your plan? onstrate that we not only have heard one of the military leaders so success- ‘‘No’’ is not a plan. the voters’ message, but also that we ful in Iraq I, stated, and I quote again, VerDate Aug 31 2005 00:39 Feb 15, 2007 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K14FE7.007 H14FEPT1 ccoleman on PRODPC75 with HOUSE H1572 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 14, 2007 ‘‘I am not persuaded that another surge who is absolutely committed to pre- So I am speaking today in memory of of troops into Baghdad for the purposes vailing in the war on terror, to protect Paulie and his mother and his father of suppressing the communitarian vio- our people, to protect our country and, and his brother and those who are still lence, this civil war, will work.’’ That yes, to protect my three daughters, my fighting there for us and listening to is General Powell. three grandchildren, and my great what we have to say. And even Senator MCCAIN, who sup- grandchild, I am absolutely committed I will not speak by calling into ques- ports the President’s escalation none- to policies that will protect us from tion anyone’s patriotism or motives. theless, said just last week, ‘‘I don’t terror and defeat those terrorists who All of us, Republicans and Democrats think it enhances our chances for suc- threaten us. Continuing to support alike, recognize that much is at stake ceeding in Iraq.’’ failed strategy, however, weakens our in Iraq and, undoubtedly, we all feel It is obvious that there is not a mili- efforts in the war on terror.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Issue 47 AFP Master 2006
    WEEKLY PAPER: DO NOT DELAY—MAILED: 3-30-07 # American Free Press AFP Volume VII #15 April 9, 2007 americanfreepress.net $2.50 Paul Craig Roberts: Federal 9-11 fairy tale IDAHO NIXES ‘AMERICAN UNION’ thoroughly debunked. Thirteen states join Idaho lawmakers Top Neocon will veto peace. See page 8 See his column on page 12. to stop globalist plan for the Americas awmakers in Idaho have approved a measure call- ing on the U.S. Congress to block the creation of the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership, USS LIBERTY a scheme put forth by globalists to merge the LUnited States with Mexico and Canada into what is known as the North American Union. In this week’s edi- BOMBSHELL tion, AFP’s national correspondent Mark Anderson details the state initiative, which has already garnered attention Ret. U.S. naval advocate admits from local officials across the country. he was ordered to whitewash See 14 STATES ACT, Page 4 Israeli murder of 34 sailors his week, AFP reporter Mark Glenn spoke with Capt. Ward Boston, the senior legal counsel for the military inquiry which investigated Israel’s June 8, 1967, attack on SOROS WARNS OF ISRAELI INFLUENCE Tthe USS Liberty. Read what this high-ranking naval officer has to say first-hand about the gov- Jewish billionaire assailed for comments; ernment’s whitewashing of Israel’s air and naval says Zionist lobbies stifle Mideast peace attack, which resulted in the death and wounding of over 200 American sailors. illionaire speculator George Soros is under fire for calling for honest debate concerning the Israeli lobby’s undue influence See NAVY CAPT., Page 11 over U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • He Opposed Abolitionist Activism in the South and West
    BUCHANAN, DRED SCOTT, AND THE ELECTION OF 1860 Buchanan tried to maintain the status quo He opposed abolitionist activism in the South and West The crisis over slavery escalated when the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case A former slave whose master had taken him to territories where slavery was illegal, declared himself a free man and sued for his freedom The case finally wound up in the Supreme Court, where Scott lost Chief Justice Roger Taney who wrote the majority decision Taney's proslavery decision declared that slaves were property, not citizens and further, that no black person could ever be a citizen of the United States Taney argued they could not sue in federal courts, as Scott had done Moreover, he ruled that Congress could not regulate slavery in the territories, as it had in the Missouri Compromise Taney essentially told Republicans that their goal -freedom for slaves in the territories- was illegal. In the North, the Supreme Court decision was viciously denounced. Meanwhile, the Democratic party was dividing along regional lines, raising the possibility that the Republicans might soon control the national government When it came time for the Democrats to choose their 1860 presidential candidate, their convention split. Northern Democrats backed Stephen Douglas, Southerners backed John Breckinridge A new party centered in the Upper South, the Constitutional Union party, nominated John Bell The Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln Lincoln attracted 40 percent of the vote and won the election in the House of H/O Political
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record—Senate S4920
    S4920 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 8, 2003 HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES in our hearts. She will not be forgot- as ‘‘a mild-mannered, quiet child’’ who Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, ten. It gives us comfort to know that attended Bible study every Wednesday today I am going to continue what the she is at peace right now.’’ night before joining the Army. Senate has been doing since our troops Behind me are the pictures of some The 507th Maintenance Company still started the invasion of Iraq, and that is who have died in action, and I am has five soldiers who are prisoners of to take the first period before we go on going to speak about each of them. war. They are SP Shoshana Johnson, In Texas, there is a town called Com- to the business of the day to salute the SP Edgar Hernandez, SP Joseph Hud- fort that lived up to its name by em- son, PFC Patrick Miller, and SGT troops who are in the field protecting bracing and comforting the parents of James Riley. I have talked with Claude our freedom. Today, I want to salute the members SP James Kiehl. In Comfort, TX, the Johnson, Shoshana’s father, several times. He and his wife Eunice are car- of the 507th Maintenance Company. parents of SP James M. Kiehl are being ing for Shoshana’s 2-year-old daughter. This is the company out of Fort Bliss comforted by their friends and neigh- bors. The 6-foot 8-inch soldier was a These five have not been seen pub- in El Paso, TX, who really were the licly since several hours after they first to be captured, the first prisoners high school basketball player and a member of the band.
    [Show full text]
  • Department of Veterans Affairs
    1 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 2 ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Department of Veterans Affairs 10 Advisory Committee on Former Prisoners of War 11 Biannual Meeting, Monday, November 17, 2014 12 SpringHill Suites by Marriott 13 1800 Yale Avenue, Seattle, Washington 14 15 16 17 18 19 Reported by: Catherine E. Black, Certified Court Reporter CCR No. 2266 20 State of Washington 21 Roger G. Flygare & Associates, Inc. Professional Court Reporters, 22 Videographers & Legal Transcriptionists 1715 South 324th Place, Suite 250 23 Federal Way, Washington 98003 (800) 574-0414 - main 24 www.flygare.com - scheduling [email protected] - email 25 ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR -- NOVEMBER 17, 2014 1 FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: 2 Thomas M. McNish, MD, MHP, FPOW Committee Chairman 3 San Antonio, Texas FPOW Vietnam 4 5 Michael R. Ambrose, MD, MPH, FAAFP Former Director, Robert E. Mitchell Center 6 Mobile, Alabama 7 Hal Kushner, MD, FACS, COL (ret) US Army 8 Daytona Beach, Florida FPOW Vietnam 9 10 Tom Hanton, President, NAM POWS Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 11 FPOW Vietnam 12 Shoshana Johnson 13 State of Texas FPOW Operation Iraqi Freedom 14 15 Norman Bussel, National Service Officers Montrose, Virginia 16 FPOW World War II 17 The Rev. Dr. Robert G. Certain 18 Chaplain, Colonel, USAFR (Retired) FPOW Vietnam 19 20 Robert W. Fletcher Department of Veteran Affairs 21 Advisory Committee on Former POWs Ann Arbor, Michigan 22 FPOW Korea 23 Eric R. Robinson, Analyst, Interagency Data Sharing 24 Designated Federal Officer Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Fear: the Foundation of Every Government's Power
    SUBSCRIBE NOW AND RECEIVE CRISIS AND LEVIATHAN* FREE! “The Independent Review does not accept “The Independent Review is pronouncements of government officials nor the excellent.” conventional wisdom at face value.” —GARY BECKER, Noble Laureate —JOHN R. MACARTHUR, Publisher, Harper’s in Economic Sciences Subscribe to The Independent Review and receive a free book of your choice* such as the 25th Anniversary Edition of Crisis and Leviathan: Critical Episodes in the Growth of American Government, by Founding Editor Robert Higgs. This quarterly journal, guided by co-editors Christopher J. Coyne, and Michael C. Munger, and Robert M. Whaples offers leading-edge insights on today’s most critical issues in economics, healthcare, education, law, history, political science, philosophy, and sociology. Thought-provoking and educational, The Independent Review is blazing the way toward informed debate! Student? Educator? Journalist? Business or civic leader? Engaged citizen? This journal is for YOU! *Order today for more FREE book options Perfect for students or anyone on the go! The Independent Review is available on mobile devices or tablets: iOS devices, Amazon Kindle Fire, or Android through Magzter. INDEPENDENT INSTITUTE, 100 SWAN WAY, OAKLAND, CA 94621 • 800-927-8733 • [email protected] PROMO CODE IRA1703 Etceteras … Fear The Foundation of Every Government’s Power ROBERT HIGGS Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear. — Bertrand Russell, “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish”1 All animals experience fear—human beings, perhaps, most of all. Any animal inca- pable of fear would have been hard pressed to survive, regardless of its size, speed, or other attributes.
    [Show full text]
  • H. Con. Res. 210
    IV 108TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 210 Honoring Army Specialist Shoshana Nyree Johnson, former prisoner of war in Iraq. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 5, 2003 Mr. RANGEL (for himself, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. BALLANCE, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FORD, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. JEFFERSON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. KILPATRICK, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. MAJETTE, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. NORTON, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATERS, Ms. WATSON, Mr. WATT, Mr. WYNN, and Mr. CLAY) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Honoring Army Specialist Shoshana Nyree Johnson, former prisoner of war in Iraq. Whereas Specialist Shoshana Nyree Johnson, United States Army, of El Paso, Texas, was born on January 18, 1973, the daughter of retired Army Sergeant First Class Claude Johnson and Eunice Johnson; 2 Whereas upon receiving orders on February 2003, Specialist Johnson was deployed to the Persian Gulf region as part of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company; Whereas on March 23, 2003, Specialist Johnson’s unit was ambushed by Iraqi troops in Nasiriyah, Iraq, and Spe- cialist Johnson
    [Show full text]
  • Home Sweet Home
    I Home Sweet Home Family, friends await the homecoming of loved ones in Iraq Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Corpsman Mark Delay, is headed based at Fort Bliss, Texas, remain cooked for him. He’s told me tit By Chelsea J. Carter Division to Twentynine Palms, home aboard the Lincoln, but her overseas, although five former he wants green chile chide THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Calif. thoughts also are with those POWs from the company returned enchiladas,” said Natalie Hutto She just hopes he’s back by whose spouses remain in the to the base Saturday. Two Apache of El Paso, Texas. SAN DIEGO — Audrey August, in time for the birth of Middle East. helicopter crewmen who were Everett plans a welcome Trevino has played it over in her their second child. “Our husbands are on the way among the rescued POWs also party for the USS Lincoln, v mind a thousand times: Her Navy “The rumors are starting, and home. There are men on the front returned Saturday to their base. cheering crowd waving 2i husband steps off the ship after you just hope they are true,” she lines who are going to be there Fort Hood, Texas. yellow pompoms. Club Broadra months at sea supporting the war said. for months,” she said. “So it’s “We will have several welcome Ten-year-old Jake Rabidou of hard to be so excited.” has even begun collecting in Iraq, grabs her in his arms and celebrations, not only for (the tions from local customers so kisses her. Camp Lejeune, N.C., also does­ Some cities already have had n’t know how long he’s going to homecoming celebrations.
    [Show full text]
  • WWII Question of “Why We !Ght” with “For the Soldiers Themselves.” Forrest Gump W!/ W" “S)00$%# #!" T%$$0.”: R!"#$%&'-+ E1$+)#&$2
    W!" W# “S$%%&'( (!# T'&&%)”: R!#(&'*+,- E.&-$(*&/) R!"#$ S%&'( ) is essay tracks the genealogy of the contemporary call to “support the troops,” a rhetoric that includes but goes beyond the strategic and argumentative use of the phrase itself. Support-the-troops rhetoric has two major functions: de*ection and dissociation. De*ection involves discursive trends in play since Vietnam that have rede+ned war as a +ght to save our own soldiers—especially the captive soldier—rather than as a struggle for policy goals external to the military. As such, this discourse directs civic attention away from the question of whether the particular war policy is just. ) e essay explicates these trends through an examination of the POW/MIA, war +lm, and the symbol of the yellow ribbon. ) e second trope, dissociation, quarantines the citizen from questions of military action by manufacturing distance between citizen and soldier. Dissociation o, en goes further to de+ne civic deliberation and dissent as an attack on the soldier body and thus an ultimate immoral act. ) is essay explores this trope through executive rhetoric, an analysis of the particular phrase “support the troops,” metaphor for war, and John Kerry’s run for the presidency in -../. Both de*ection and dissociation work to discipline and mute public deliberation in matters of war. ) e essay concludes by considering strategies for reopening spaces for democratic deliberation. R!"#$ S%&'( is Assistant Professor of Speech Communication at the University of Georgia in Athens. © 2009 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. All rights reserved. Rhetoric & Public Affairs Vol. 12, No. 4, 2009, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Crossing the Rubicon 2.Pdf
    PART IV EMPIRE AND DECLINE chapter26 THE RECORD little guy like me should never have had to write this book. A By the time the Kean Commission’s final report was released, a crucial prin- ciple of democratic government called “separation of powers” had quietly vanished. Nobody within the government seemed willing or able to defy the exec- utive’s mythical narrative of 9/11, even while the executive used the implications of that Big Lie to justify its every move. Massive war appropriations, the Patriot Acts, intelligence “reform,” Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo Bay, prison torture abroad, domestic roundups and detentions of Arabs and South Asians, and a hun- dred tangentially related usurpations of the powers Constitutionally reserved for the legislature and the judiciary — all were driven through by appeals to the offi- cial story of 9/11. It seems there are no independent voices of authority remaining outside the Empire’s control to challenge, temper or place limits on Imperial crimes and ambitions. There is only yet another Patrician seeking to replace Caesar on the throne and wear the Imperial purple. The Kean commission’s mandate The Kean Commission’s mandate was laid out in Public Law 107-306, signed by President Bush on November 27, 2002. SEC. 602. PURPOSES. The purposes of the Commission are to — (1) examine and report upon the facts and causes relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, occurring at the World Trade Center in New York, New York, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon in Virginia; (2) ascertain,
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 108 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
    E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 108 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 149 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2003 No. 80 House of Representatives The House met at 10:30 a.m. very effective drug called money, and cannot afford the drugs that are avail- f they are using it to change the way able today. America thinks. Here in Washington In Ohio, as in other parts of the coun- MORNING HOUR DEBATES you see the drug companies’ money ev- try, seniors have grown tired of wait- The SPEAKER. Pursuant to the erywhere. They spend untold millions ing for the Federal Government to ad- order of the House of January 7, 2003, on high-priced inside-the-Beltway law- dress the high price of prescription the Chair will now recognize Members yers to tell the administration and drugs. They know they cannot count from lists submitted by the majority Congress that State initiatives to con- on President Bush, who receives mil- and minority leaders for morning hour trol drug costs violate the law by put- lions of drug company dollars. They debates. The Chair will alternate rec- ting Medicaid beneficiaries at risk. know they cannot count on the Repub- ognition between the parties, with each And they spend big money, really big lican leadership. The Ohio Coalition for party limited to not to exceed 30 min- money to sell this message to Congress Affordable Drugs wants to let the citi- utes, and each Member except the ma- and the White House.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greater Middle East Initiative: Regime Change, Neoliberalism and Us Global Hegemony*
    THE GREATER MİDDLE EAST INITIATIVE: REGİME CHANGE, NEOLIBERALISM AND US GLOBAL HEGEMONY* EDDIE J. GIRDNER ABSTRACT The George W. Bush Administration launched the Greater Middle East Initiative (GMEI) as "a forward strategy of freedom in the Middle East" in November 2003. The policy emerged as a central plank in the "vvar on terrorism" just as Operation Iraqi Freedom began to encounter stiff resistance to the US occupation of Iraq. Marketed as a "brand nevv strategy" of "ending autocracy" in the region and bringing democracy to those deprived of freedom, officials clainned the policy vvas designed to "clean up the messy fart of the vvorld." This article argues that the GMEI is not about vvaging democracy in the Middle East, but rather neo-Wilsonian ideological cover for the neoconservative agenda of controlling the entire vvorld by force. On the dravving board, the National Endovvment for Democracy (NED) and its affiliated organizations, vvorking clandestinely through US private transnational corporations, are to serve as conduits for the imperialist control of local political parties and elections. This vvill allovv for the neoliberal control of the region by US and Israeli capital, help to contain China and Europe through the control of oil, and bolster US capitalist accumulation. Ultimately, the US is certain to fail back on business as usual, supporting local autocracies vvhich serve "US national interests." KEYVVORDS Civil society, democratization, imperialism, neoliberalism, neo- Wilsonianism, terrorism, Turkey "Presented at the First International Conference: "America in the Middle East, The Middle East in America," American University of Beirut. Beirut, Lebanon, Dec. 18-21, 2005. 38 THE TURKİSH YEARBOOK [VOL.
    [Show full text]
  • H. Con. Res. 109
    IV 109TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 109 Honoring Army Specialist Shoshana Nyree Johnson, former prisoner of war in Iraq. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 17, 2005 Mr. RANGEL submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Honoring Army Specialist Shoshana Nyree Johnson, former prisoner of war in Iraq. Whereas Specialist Shoshana Nyree Johnson, United States Army, of El Paso, Texas, was born on January 18, 1973, the daughter of retired Army Sergeant First Class Claude Johnson and Eunice Johnson; Whereas upon receiving orders on February 2003, Specialist Johnson was deployed to the Persian Gulf region as part of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company; Whereas on March 23, 2003, Specialist Johnson’s unit was ambushed by Iraqi troops in Nasiriyah, Iraq, and Spe- cialist Johnson and five other members of that unit were captured and became prisoners of war; 2 Whereas Specialist Johnson suffered gunshot wounds in both ankles and rough treatment by her captors; Whereas Specialist Johnson’s interrogation by her captors was seen by television viewers around the world in a vid- eotape released by her Iraqi captors; Whereas Specialist Johnson’s plight resonated in the hearts of all Americans; Whereas Specialist Johnson, as well as four others from her unit and two helicopter pilots, were rescued by United States Marines on April 13, 2003; Whereas upon that rescue, all eight United States military personnel who were captured and held as prisoners of war during Operation
    [Show full text]