[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 21, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14302-S14303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, over the weekend the Senate passed my 
resolution, S. Res. 338, to honor the first 2,152 troops who have died 
in Iraq and Afghanistan by listing their names and hometowns in the 
Congressional Record. They deserve this tribute for their valiant 
support of their military obligations.
  I appreciate the support of my colleagues on this measure. It is a 
symbolic way for us to honor each of our fallen heroes individually.
  But there is another way we can honor their memory. And that is to be 
honest and truthful about the war in which they fought--Iraq.
  The President has taken small steps toward candor on Iraq, but the 
denial of reality is still apparent in his speeches.
  To make matters worse, the President is still making insulting 
insinuations about those who criticize his Iraq policy. In his Sunday 
night address to the nation, President Bush said:

       Some look at the challenges in Iraq and conclude that the 
     war is lost, and not worth another dime or another day.

  Does this statement suggest that those who disagree with the 
President would not even spend a trivial amount to protect America's 
international interests?
  The President states that the sacrifices in Iraq are made in dimes 
and days. But what about lives?
  What about the more than two American lives given each day so far 
this year in Iraq? The President didn't mention that.
  I have gone to many memorial services and funerals for brave, young 
Americans from New Jersey who died in Iraq. Seventy-three soldiers with 
ties to New Jersey have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  I have also visited Walter Reed Army Hospital here in Washington 
several times, and I have been struck by the incredible resilience and 
dedication to country of those young Americans.
  While these brave men and women put their lives on the line, this 
administration bypasses reality.
  Today we know that Iraq did not pose an imminent threat to our 
national security. We know that there were not weapons of mass 
destruction. We also learned that Iraq had nothinq to do with 9/11 and 
actually had an adversarial relationship with al-Qaida.
  There is no doubt Saddam Hussein was a maniacal dictator who killed, 
tortured, and suppressed his own people.
  But President Bush did not call for an invasion of Iraq based on 
Saddam's treatment of his own people. President Bush called for war 
with Iraq because he argued that Saddam was a direct threat to the 
American people.
  That turned out to be untrue, plain and simple.
  Now, in the wake of the administration's mishandling of this war, 
much of Iraq has turned into a magnet for terrorists and extremists. 
President Bush continues to say that Iraq is a ``central

[[Page S14303]]

front of the war on terror.'' But the reality is that Iraq has become a 
terrorist front as a result of President Bush's mistakes.
  Our 160,000 troops in Iraq have become a tarqet for cowardly 
insurgents who attack us with roadside bombs and suicide attacks.
  This is not progress.
  Despite claims by supporters of the President's Iraq policy we are 
not making sufficient progress in Iraq. Unfortunately, we may be 
sinking deeper into a quaqmire.
  We have not made progress because the President has never put 
together a coherent plan for postinvasion Iraq.
  For evidence of this, one need only look at the infamous speech 
aboard the aircraft carrier on May 1, 2003, when President Bush 
declared ``mission accomplished.''
  ``Mission accomplished'' sure sounded like the job was done and our 
troops can begin to come home.
  But we now know the mission was not accomplished on May 1, 2003.
  More recently, over the past few weeks, President Bush has been 
making speeches about Iraq in an attempt to reshape people's 
perceptions of the war. The President knows that polls show that a 
majority of the American people do not believe that the war is being 
managed properly.
  President Bush thinks if something is repeated often enough, people 
will eventually believe it.
  But the American people will not stand still while we lose more of 
our courageous young men and women.
  We all pray that Thursday's Iraqi elections will lead to a viable 
government that will create stability. It could be a critical first 
step.
  But where are the plans if the elections do not lead to success? How 
long until more lost lives exhaust the patience and will of the 
American people?
  In the meantime, supporters of the President point to evidence of 
significant progress as more satellite dishes appear on Iraqi roofs and 
cell phones are in Iraqi hands. But while the anxiety and fear existing 
in thousands of American families continues, Iraqi satellite dishes and 
cell phones do not suggest relief.
  It seems possible to get an honest assessment from the administration 
of any future plans to get our people home.
  That probably explains why some of President Bush's statements on 
Iraq have been contradicted by current military leaders.
  For example, last June President Bush said there were 160,000 Iraqi 
troops trained and ready to fight. But then, a few months later, Gen. 
Georqe W. Casey, Jr.--the top U.S. commander in Iraq--said only one 
Iraqi battalion was able to conduct operations independently of 
American forces. That means less than a thousand Iraqi soldiers were 
actually equipped to fight without our help.
  And we should pay close attention to what the former head of U.S. 
Central Command--retired Gen. Anthony Zinni--said about this Iraq 
operation.
  General Zinni has described the poor planning for the Iraq war as, 
``at a minimum true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility, at 
worse, lying, incompetence and corruption.''
  General Zinni went on to say, ``And to think that we are going to 
`stay the course'--the course is headed over Niagra Falls.''
  Other generals with vast experience voiced serious doubt to the White 
House about Iraq, including Norman Schwarzkopf, Wesley Clark, Brent 
Scowcroft and Eric Shinseki.
  But the people who wear a suit--not a uniform--in the administration 
didn't listen.
  I served in the Army. I have met thousands of soldiers. I know that 
it takes about 3 months to turn a young American into a trained and 
dedicated soldier. So why has it taken almost 3 years to train a 
handful of Iraqis to be able to fight for their country?
  President Bush also said this war has made us safer. But Iraq is not 
safe for our troops or the Iraqi people. We had 85 soldiers killed last 
month--one of the deadliest months since the war began.
  There have been over 70 suicide bombings in the last 2 months, an 
average of more than one a day and more than 3,000 concealed bombs 
either exploded or discovered.
  President Bush points to last Thursday's parliamentary elections in 
Iraq as a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope 
this is true.
  But we have heard rosy predictions from this President before, yet 
the insurgency seemed to only grow each time.
  Remember: We also heard rosy predictions when the President said 
``mission accomplished.'' We heard it when Saddam Hussein was captured. 
We heard it a year ago after the first election in Iraq.
  Meanwhile, 2,158 of our best young Americans have been killed. And 
nearly 16,000 have been wounded--many with injuries that will forever 
change their lives. No wonder a significant majority of the American 
people do not believe that President Bush has a plan to end this war.
  That is why it is time for the President to give the American people 
a realistic plan for bringing our troops home.
  What needs to happen? How many Iraqi troops need to be trained?
  Let us set reliable goals for our mission, with an understanding of 
what it will take to get the job done and brinq our troops back home to 
their families.
  Mr. President, we don't want our leader to deny us the hard facts of 
war. And we don't want the price of this conflict hidden by prohibiting 
photographs of the flag-draped coffins that carry heroes back to our 
shores.
  We need a leader who recognizes what a majority of the American 
people see taking place in front of their eyes on television, in our 
newspapers, in our homes, and in our hearts.
  President Bush, I ask you to be frank with us about what we are 
facing in the future in Iraq. Show us how you will work to avoid 
further loss of life. And while we honor the memories of those who have 
perished, we must do whatever we can to make life more bearable for 
their families.

                          ____________________