[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 9, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H228-H229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IRAQ AND THE PROPOSED BUSH ESCALATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, first of all, congratulations for being up 
in that chair.
  I rise today to unwaveringly support the Speaker of the House, who 
has said that she opposes any escalation of the occupation of Iraq, 
that she opposes sending more combat troops into a situation in Iraq 
that is so, so messy.
  The Speaker represents an overwhelming majority viewpoint among the 
American people. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, she is Speaker today because the 
American people overwhelmingly rejected the Bush occupation policy, a 
policy that has already claimed over 3,000 American lives, cost us 
hundreds of billions of dollars, ignited a bloody civil war, and 
diminished our national security.
  But President Bush is stubbornly and desperately clinging onto an 
ideological vision that has been completely discredited. He is not 
listening to the new Congress. He is not listening to the American 
people. He is not listening to the Iraq Study Group. He is not even 
listening to his military commanders, who have advised against an 
escalation.
  Even the most hawkish observer imaginable, Oliver North, has come out 
against an escalation in a recent column entitled: ``More Troops Equals 
More Targets.''
  This occupation takes a more disastrous turn with each passing week, 
but the Bush administration not only is sticking to its failed policy; 
it is investing even more in that policy.
  Our military presence, from the very beginning, hasn't brought peace 
and freedom to Iraq. It has been a catalyst for greater violence and 
disorder. It hasn't defeated the insurgency. It has been what has 
motivated the insurgency. It hasn't solved problems in Iraq. It has 
exacerbated them.
  So what is the White House's solution? Send more troops and put more 
Americans in harm's way, even though the American presence destabilized 
Iraq in the first place. Escalation defies common sense, Mr. Speaker. 
It is

[[Page H229]]

completely incomprehensible. The President of the United States has a 
unique take on an old proverb. He believes that if you find yourself in 
a hole, the solution is to keep on digging.
  Here in Congress, however, we want to stop digging. On Friday, the 
Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus will co-
host a forum featuring former Senator George McGovern and Mideast 
expert Dr. William Polk. They will be discussing their plan for ending 
the occupation, as outlined in their recent book, ``Out of Iraq: A 
Practical Plan For Withdrawal Now.''
  We will also be joined by leaders from the military, and from 
diplomatic and intelligence communities, who will offer their expertise 
and input in a dialogue with Senator McGovern and Dr. Polk.
  It is time for a 180-degree turn in the U.S. policy toward Iraq. It 
is time for the Congress to act out the mandate it received from the 
American people in November. It is time to get down to business and 
figure out how to extricate ourselves from Iraq, end the occupation and 
bring our troops home.

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