[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 116 (Thursday, September 23, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7548-H7549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FOLLOW-UP TO REMARKS GIVEN TO CONGRESS BY IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER 
    AYAD ALLAWI: QUESTION TO THE ADMINISTRATION--WHERE IS THE PLAN?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the 
remarks and the message of Interim Prime Minister Allawi, and in fact, 
as someone who opposed this war as being misdirected and procedurally 
and constitutionally unsound, inasmuch as the Congress did not follow 
the Constitution and declare war, this resolution simply authorized the 
President to look at the option of militaries as one option.
  But even in spite of my opposition to the initial beginnings of this 
war, I welcomed the remarks of Prime Minister Allawi and certainly 
welcomed his optimism and his desire to tell the American people that 
there is an end, there is a future in Iraq.
  The whole idea of beginning to work with this process of rebuilding 
Iraq is clearly a circumstance that requires telling the American 
people the truth, and even though I think that the Prime Minister was 
eager to engage us in the optimism of Iraq, the one thing that he could 
not answer for us is simply where is the plan. Where is the plan of 
this administration, and what do we say to the men and women who are 
now on the frontlines of Iraq who wear the American uniform?
  I just mention and show this gentleman who happens to be a face that 
has been utilized by one of my colleagues, and I am sharing that with 
my colleagues tonight, but it reminds us of the Americans who are on 
the frontline, reminds us of the families who are longing for them to 
return, reminds us of those troops that I visited in Afghanistan and 
Iraq who are committed to their duty. But they want to know when they 
can return home, what is the ultimate plan and agenda for the survival 
of Iraq.
  Prime Minister Allawi told us that things were getting better, that 
schools were opening, clinics were opening; but, frankly, I believe 
that in the backdrop of all of that, the violence is raging.
  Let me cite for my colleagues words from Jessica Mathews who just 
returned from Iraq. She made this statement in an op-ed in the Thursday 
Washington Post: ``To visit Iraq today is to be forcibly reminded of 
the obvious: there is no military solution to politically inspired 
violence by locals against foreigners. What was true for the French in 
Algeria, the British in Northern Ireland, the Russians in Chechnya and 
the Israelis in the West Bank is proving true for the Coalition 
Provisional Authority in Iraq. Notwithstanding a huge and impressive 
military effort, the security situation, at least for now, is 
worsening.''
  She said this over a year ago, and it is now true today. Since that 
time, some 700 Americans and probably at least 10 times as many Iraqis 
have died, and every single day they are dying. So although I rise to 
thank the Prime Minister for his carefully stated words, might I say to 
my colleagues that we still are languishing without direction.
  So I ask the President to stand before the American people, present 
to us a plan of survival and existence and progress. Present to us a 
step-by-step methodical progress of being able to return our troops and 
honor the increasing utilization of Iraqi law enforcement and military 
and begin to answer the questions of some of those who we will hear in 
just a moment.
  Maybe it should be Senator Lugar, who, when asked the question over 
the weekend, why has a great part of Iraq not been rebuilt, he simply 
said without any qualms, and I guess he said it before he heard it, 
because the administration is incompetent. So we can see that 
statements are being made by a number of those on the other side of the 
aisle that are now coming together as Americans, pleading for some 
direction by the administration.
  My words simply tonight as I close, Mr. Speaker, are this. We can 
hear from the leadership, the interim leadership, that elections may be 
coming, that we may be making this work; but the violence says 
something different. We are failing the Iraqi people, and we are 
failing the United States military because we do not have a plan.
  We in Congress are grateful to His Excellency the Interim Prime 
Minister Allawi for his inspiring remarks on the floor. He very 
articulately laid out the important issues that are now attendant and 
that lie ahead for Iraq--they include ``Military Strategy,'' ``Iraqi 
Elections,'' ``International Help,'' and ``Freedom.''
  He spoke of the positive aspects of these issues; however, we in the 
United States must realize that there are very pressing issues to be 
addressed by this administration within our own borders as well as on 
the battlefield for our troops. To that end, I ask the question: 
``Where is the plan Mr. President?''
   I was privileged to visit some of our troops when I traveled to 
CENTCOM in April. I learned of their experiences in Iraq and I heard 
the challenges that they faced. I continue to be impressed by how well 
those young men and women in uniform represent the United States. They 
perform their duties and meet the demands of their positions every day 
despite the tough conditions and sometimes inadequate supplies.
  The troops are fulfilling their duties, now it is time that the 
administration fulfills its duty by creating a real plan to create and 
keep the peace in Iraq. The administration must also jumpstart the 
process of rebuilding in Iraq. Clearly, the situation cannot continue. 
We are losing soldiers daily and families are being left heartbroken 
because peace has not prevailed in Iraq, not even in Baghdad where the 
administration said the United States military had a stronghold.
  Worse yet, our allies are backing away from their commitments to join 
the effort to secure

[[Page H7549]]

Iraq. Turkey has decided not to send troops to Iraq. Japan will not be 
sending personnel and it is providing less money for rebuilding than it 
once offered. Even South Korea has said that the lack of security in 
Iraq makes the idea of sending South Korean troops untenable. Where now 
is the joint effort that the President promised? How will the 
administration secure the assistance that is clearly needed in Iraq? 
The number of casualties is increasing at an alarming rate; when will 
it stop?
  I believe that the administration must embrace a multilateral peace 
process to bring lasting peace to Iraq and to create an environment in 
which rebuilding can safely occur. A multilateral process is needed not 
only to develop and maintain peace within Iraq but also throughout the 
Middle East region.
  Therefore, in addition to creating a plan in Iraq the President needs 
to create a plan to truly engage our allies. That is how the United 
States will be successful not just in the short term but for years to 
come. That is how we can responsibly follow up the inspiring words of 
His Excellency Prime Minister Allawi.

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