[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2533-E2534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN SUPPORT OF H.J. RES. 73, TO REDEPLOY U.S. FORCES FROM IRAQ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Joint 
Resolution introduced by Representative John Murtha. This Resolution 
should be brought to the floor because the time has come for a change 
in our Iraq policy.
  I believe our military has done its job. They were sent to Iraq to 
depose a tyrant and free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein's brutal 
regime. They accomplished what can be described as one of the most 
successful and well-executed military campaigns in history, defeating 
the Iraqi army in a matter of days and going on to hunt down and 
capture Saddam Hussein.
  The issue before us is not ``surrender'' or ``cut and run''. Our 
troops have accomplished their mission. What they're now having to 
battle is an insurgency comprised largely of Iraqis who they were sent 
to liberate. According to our top military leadership, fewer than 7% of 
the insurgents in Iraq are foreign militants and the primary target of 
the insurgents are U.S. troops.
  The violence is taking its toll on the Iraqi people, the vast 
majority of whom want a stable, secure Iraq free from foreign 
occupation. A recent poll taken in Iraq indicated that 80% of Iraqis 
want the American military to leave, and most chilling, 45% believe 
attacks against U.S. forces are justified. The daily toll inflicted on 
our military and our national purse (close to $1 billion per day now), 
is simply unsustainable.
  Congressman Murtha has proposed a plan calling for the redeployment 
of U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces, the creation 
of a quick-reaction force in the region and an ``over-the-horizon'' 
presence of Marines, and the pursuit of security and stability in Iraq 
through diplomacy.
  Congressman Murtha based his sober and professional judgment on the 
following:
  The U.S. and coalition troops have accomplished all they can in Iraq 
and the American people have not been shown clear, measurable progress 
for the establishment of a stable and improving security in Iraq or of 
a stable and improving economy.
  American troops have become the primary targets of attacks in Iraq, 
which is significantly impeding progress. Continued military action is 
not in the best interest of the United States, the Iraqi people, or the 
Persian Gulf region.
  As Commander of Iraqi forces, General George Casey stated in a 
September 2005 hearing, ``the perception of occupation in Iraq is a 
major driving force behind the insurgency.''
  The cost of the war to our country, and the burden on the troops to 
whom Congressman Murtha has dedicated his life, is skyrocketing.
  Congressman Murtha knows of what he speaks. He is a 37-year veteran 
of the Marine Corps, a Colonel, the first Vietnam War veteran elected 
to this body and an unimpeachable, first-hand authority on the needs of 
our military.
  Congressman Murtha is one of the most decorated veterans in the 
Congress. No one

[[Page E2534]]

has taken care of our troops on a more consistent basis since coming to 
the Congress than Jack Murtha. Previous Presidents know this, this 
President knows it, present and former members of Congress know it, and 
most importantly, our troops know it.
  Congressman Murtha has been standing side-by-side with our troops 
throughout the Iraq war, from his presence in Kuwait just days before 
the start of the war, to his ongoing weekly visits to wounded troops at 
Bethesda Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to 
his regular travel to the region to be with our troops. Each and every 
step of the way Jack Murtha has made sure that our troops have what 
they need, that their families are cared for, and that our country 
honors their service as deeply as he does. In one case, when a mother 
told him that bureaucratic red tape would prevent her son, a young man 
severely wounded in service to his country from receiving a Purple 
Heart, Jack Murtha said that if her son didn't get a Purple Heart, he 
would give him one of his. This is Jack Murtha.
  After great personal reflection on the war and its effects and 
constant consultation with the military leadership, Congressman Murtha 
has done what members of this body are charged to do: He spoke truth to 
power. He announced it was ``time for a change in direction'' in Iraq. 
He did not call for an immediate withdrawal. He has not called for 
surrender and he has not called for retreat.
  Whether Members agree with Congressman Murtha's judgment on the 
individual details of his proposal, it's become clear that our current 
policy in Iraq is unsustainable. It's time to tell the Iraqis that the 
training wheels have to come off . . . it's time for the Iraqis to take 
charge of Iraq. Today the American people are ahead of us, with some 
65% saying it's time for a change. It's time to begin the overdue 
debate on how and when we bring our troops home. Congressman Murtha has 
set forth a pragmatic and clear proposal. I'm proud to support it.

                          ____________________