[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1008-S1011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today I rise to talk about a portion of the
President's address last night that I think is extremely important. I
have heard from many of my colleagues in this body and on the talk
shows that there are serious concerns about the war in Iraq. Primarily,
they are saying we need to change our strategy; we shouldn't be
involved in a civil war. We should be involving the Iraqis themselves
in taking care of the civil war. We ought to be providing more--we
ought to ensure the Iraqi Government cuts the Sunnis in on the oil
revenues and makes them full economic partners. We need to bring in the
friendly neighbors in the region, those countries that want to see a
peaceful and stable Iraq, and we ought to be following the Baker-
Hamilton report.
As I listened to the President's speech last night, that is precisely
what he did. This is a new strategy we have in Iraq. We have heard in
our open Intelligence Committee hearings that now, for the first time,
we believe Prime Minister al-Maliki and his Sunni and Kurdish fellow
elected leaders believe they can take over and restore order in that
country, and they are willing to crack down on the Shia death squads,
such as Muqtada al-Sadr. We have seen reports of that in the media.
They report that the neighboring countries are willing now to come in
and help with reconstruction, provide job opportunities for young
unemployed men to keep them from becoming insurgents or terrorists, and
this, they say, is our best chance.
Frankly, for Prime Minister al-Maliki and his government, this is
probably their last chance. This is an opportunity where al-Maliki
said: If you will provide some additional support as we go in, get our
troops up to speed and clear and hold Baghdad, we will take over the
country.
That is what we need to do to bring a successful conclusion to this
war and to draw out our military. We are probably going to have our
military in the region for a long time because, as the President said,
this is a generational war against radical Islam and the terror they
bring.
I wanted to just briefly note a comment. Last night we heard that the
military is against the war. Well, there may be some in the military
who are against the war, but I can tell my colleagues, I have spent a
lot of time listening to Missouri soldiers and marines, people who have
been on the ground. I have gotten reports from them continually. I have
seen newspaper reports about the people who have come back, the
soldiers who have come back.
For example, one woman has written a book. She served with the Army's
101st Airborne. She lost her husband in the war. She says:
It is hard to stay positive about Iraq because of what you
see on the news. But I was able to be there and I know what a
difference we are making there.
Others, such as 1SG Stephanie Leonard, was moved to tears, saying
that they are heroes for helping the Iraqi people. She said:
It is not a 24-hour war. We want things to be in a hurry.
As soon as the Iraqi police are able to secure their own
country, that is when the window begins to open.
These are just some of the many comments I have seen in print in
Missouri and heard people express. They want to see us win. They know
they are doing the job. They believe the liberal national media has
painted a very unflattering and untrue picture, and that is why our
troops think they are not getting a fair shake.
But in that context, in the context of what the President did, let's
talk about
[[Page S1009]]
the resolutions which are being discussed. If the President is on the
track to respond to all of the ideas about how we ought to change our
direction in Iraq--and I believe he is--what will the resolutions do?
Well, proponents of the resolutions say they want to support the
troops, but the resolutions don't do that. Clearly, I believe there is
an agreement now that we are not going to try to use the congressional
power of the purse to cut off funding and force an immediate withdrawal
from Iraq because that would be madness. The Director of National
Intelligence told our committee:
Precipitous withdrawal could lead to a collapse of the
government of that country and a collapse of their security
forces because we simply don't think they are ready to take
over, to assume full control of their fiscal
responsibilities.
To simply withdraw now would have catastrophic effects, and that is a
quite widely held view inside of Iraq itself. If we were to cut off
funds, the CIA Director said it would lead, No. 1, to increased killing
of Iraqi civilians.
No. 2, the establishment by al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden of the
base of operations for their war to establish a worldwide caliphate
beginning in the Middle East, taking over the areas of Iraq which would
be out of control and would bring people in from other countries in a
possible civil war.
If we remember, that is what happened in Vietnam. When Congress cut
off the purse, we saw our allies slaughtered in Vietnam, and some 2 to
2.5 million people in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam were killed. A
possible slaughter of people in the Middle East who have supported us
would ensue.
General Maples, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told
our committee 2 weeks ago:
. . . A failure in Iraq would empower the jihadist
movement. It would give that base of operations from which
the jihadist movement would extend. And it's consistent with
the goals of Al Qaida in Iraq to establish that Islamic
state, and then to expand it into the caliphate. I also think
that there, of course, will be very significant regional
impacts both in terms of stability to other countries--
I ask unanimous consent to speak an additional 4 minutes.
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, what is the parliamentary situation?
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tester). The time for morning business has
expired.
Mr. GREGG. The Senator from Missouri is asking for 4 additional
minutes?
Mr. BOND. I ask for 4 additional minutes.
Mr. GREGG. I have no objection to the Senator proceeding.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. It will
be charged against the minority side.
Mr. BOND. General Maples also told the Senate Intelligence Committee
that a withdrawal from Iraq could leave Iraq's vast oil reserves in the
hands of jihadists. We can imagine what trouble that would lead to.
If we are not using our power to cut off the funds and force a hasty
withdrawal, what are we doing? Are we telling the 21,000 brave men and
women who are going to Iraq we are uncomfortable with the dangerous
mission they are about to undertake but not offering any alternative? I
am sure they will find that very encouraging. They will be delighted to
know we don't like what they are doing but they will have to do it
anyhow.
If the goal of the resolution is to let the American people know we
are uncomfortable with the situation in Iraq, I guess that makes for
good politics. But, personally, I think it is wrong and irresponsible.
It is irresponsible because if we approve this resolution, the whole
world will be listening, including the worst actors in Iraq. We will be
telling the Sunni terror cells and the Shia militias that America's
political will is wavering.
If the members of al-Qaida in Iraq are finding themselves discouraged
by the United States military's relentless pursuit, I am sure they will
take comfort from these political gestures. If the Iraqis who support
and encourage the Shia death squads are feeling the heat of United
States-led and supported operations and are contemplating a compromise
that might bring sectarian killing to an end, I am sure they will take
comfort from the political gesture to hold on a little longer.
One of the keys to a successful counterinsurgency campaign is to wear
down the enemy's resolve. This resolution will do the opposite. It will
encourage Sunni terrorists and Shia death squads, letting them know if
they hang on longer, the United States will not have the political will
to outlast them.
One of the ironies of the resolution is that it condemns a
recommendation that comes from a group the Senate requested in
legislation. The Iraq Study Group's report recommended that the Iraqi
government:
. . . accelerate assuming responsibility for Iraqi
security by increasing the number and quality of Iraqi Army
brigades. While this process is underway, and to facilitate
it, the United States should significantly increase the
number of U.S. military personnel, including combat troops,
imbedded in and supporting Iraqi Army units. As these actions
proceed, U.S. combat forces could begin to move out of Iraq.
So let me make sure I have this right. The Senate demanded the
legislation. The Iraq Study Group put together recommendations. The
study group came forward and made recommendations and the President had
the temerity to accept some of them, and now we are going to vote out a
resolution condemning them for accepting those recommendations?
General Petraeus said this week to the Committee on Armed Services
that he needs the 21,000 troops to get the job done. Are we telling him
we don't think we should have those troops?
I have to confess, even as a Senator, I can't tell you exactly what
we are trying to say in these resolutions. Are we expressing concern
and discomfort with the situation in Iraq? I can't imagine how that
would help. But more importantly, I can imagine lots of ways in which
it will not help.
Look at the confusion within our Government in 1993 when the military
had concerns about congressional intentions over our involvement in
Somalia and how they prevented a request for armor that could have
saved the lives of American soldiers. It is not a perfect analogy, of
course, but I think it offers an important warning of the danger of
mixed message like the one we will send with this resolution.
Our commander on the ground in Somalia in 1993, General Montgomery,
requested a small unit of tanks and armored vehicles, as a quick
reaction force in case our troops got bogged down or surrounded in the
dense urban sprawl of Mogadishu, as they eventually did.
Les Aspin, the Secretary of Defense at the time, denied the
commander's request. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee that
``Congressional concerns about U.S. military involvement in Somalia
were a factor in his decision to deny General Montgomery's request for
armor.''
General Montgomery also told the Armed Services Committee that he
would have used that armor in October 1993 ``Blackhawk Down'' incident
to rescue our troops who were bogged down in urban combat with Somali
militia men. General Montgomery said that if he had that armor, ``we
would have gotten there faster. We would have taken fewer casualties.''
My fear is that, in addition to the message this resolution will send
to our enemies about our lack of resolve, it will also send a wrong and
confusing message to our military commanders.
Just like we did in Somalia in 1993, we are pretty much saying that
while the President should not pull our military out of Iraq, they
shouldn't bother asking for what they need to get the job done and
protect themselves while they are there.
General Petraeus raised this very same issue in his testimony this
week in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said that he
worried about what message this resolution. would send to his soldiers
and himself.
If we are going to leave our troops in Iraq, as we should, we should
also give them everything they need to protect themselves and get their
job done. Just as importantly, we should not leave them with the
mistaken impression that they shouldn't bother to ask for what they
need.
Congress cannot, and should not micromanage the war in Iraq--the
troops in the field like to call that the 8,000 mile screwdriver. If
any Senator wants to propose legislation to compel a withdrawal from
Iraq, so be it, and let's vote on the matter.
If not, let's stop trying to micromanage by resolution, suggestion
and
[[Page S1010]]
gesture, put away the 8,000 mile screwdriver, and give the President's
plan a chance to succeed.
The Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Tom Fingar, told the
Senate Intelligence Committee this week that gains in stability in Iraq
could open a window for gains in sectarian reconciliation. I agree, and
we have to give the President's plan a chance to succeed if we want to
open that window.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have two pertinent articles
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12, 2005]
Bronze Star Winner Sees Fruit of Her Efforts
(By Mary Delach Leonard)
Last January, Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Leonard was moved to
tears as she watched news reports of the national elections
in Iraq.
``When I saw people running around with their ink-colored
fingers, I cried. I knew it was worth it. And I realized
something important: Without soldiers and without people who
support their soldiers, that day would have never come,'' she
said.
``People overuse the word hero, but I felt like a hero that
day.''
Leonard, 43, of Normandy, served in Iraq two years ago,
shortly after the start of the war. She was assigned to the
135th Military History Detachment of the Missouri National
Guard, and her job was to gather stories of war. Her three-
soldier unit crisscrossed the Sunni Triangle from April to
August 2003 interviewing and photographing members of the
Third Corps Support Command.
The information they gathered will eventually be stored at
the Center for Military History in Washington.
``Believe it or not, the military really does like to learn
from its successes and failures, and this is one way we can
do that,'' Leonard says.
She performed her duty so well, she was awarded the Bronze
Star for meritorious service; she was the first female
soldier of the Missouri Guard to earn the honor.
Leonard says people are always curious about the medal and
are often surprised to discover that the Bronze Star is
awarded not only for valor but, as in her case, for doing an
outstanding job.
``It was all about the mission,'' she said.
Women are in combat
Leonard is manager of information technology at Aramark in
St. Louis--she calls herself a computer geek--and says that
her life is pretty well back to normal. But she is concerned
for her friends in Guard units currently serving in Iraq. She
is aware that Americans are growing impatient and that some
politicians have called for a timetable to begin withdrawing
U.S. troops.
``It's not a 24-hour war, and, as Americans, we want things
in a hurry,'' she said. ``We have to be patient. As soon as
the Iraqi police are able to secure their own country, then
that's when the window begins to open.''
On the day Leonard was interviewed for this story, the news
was grim: Six American troops had been killed and 13 injured
during a suicide attack on a convoy in Fallujah. The
headlines focused on the fact that four of the dead were
female Marines, and that 11 of the injured were also women.
Some political commentators questioned the assignments of
women in Iraq.
Although Pentagon policy excludes women from ground combat
units, they are allowed to serve in support units, such as
transportation, engineers and military police.
``If women are in support roles everywhere in Iraq, then
women are in combat,'' Leonard said.
Some people are bothered by the thought of women kicking in
doors or assuming the role of the aggressor, she said.
``But we have female firefighters and women police
officers, and they are trained to kick in doors.''
Loss of life is tragic, whether male or female, Leonard
said.
``Bullets don't differentiate.''
Although her unit traveled in unsecured combat zones in
Iraq, Leonard said she never felt as though male soldiers
treated her differently or tried to protect her.
``I think I was more protective of them,'' she said. ``They
knew I could take care of myself.''
Making choices
Since returning from Iraq, Leonard has been invited to
speak about her experiences before various civic groups.
Recently, she addressed Junior ROTC students at Beaumont High
School. She told them that life is all about options, choices
and decisions.
``As you get older, choices don't get easier; they get
harder,'' she said.
Leonard points to her own life as an example. She joined
the National Guard 16 years ago after graduating from St.
Louis University because she wanted a challenge. She found
one in Iraq.
She said she embraced the U.S. mission in Iraq because, as
she traveled the countryside, she discovered how bad
conditions were for the people.
Leonard said she has thought about returning to Iraq--she
thinks she could make a contribution--but she would do so
reluctantly because of her family. She is particularly
concerned about her mother who took it hard when her youngest
child went to war.
Recently, Leonard has been thinking a lot about her time in
Iraq because she has been answering a detailed questionnaire
from the National Guard about her service.
``It's a real shock to the system,'' she said. ``It can
bring up all sorts of memories.''
____
[From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apr. 2, 2006]
The Heart of a Soldier
Missouri veteran of Iraq war reflects on life, love and grief in her
new book
(By Mary Delach Leonard)
Kate Blaise is back home in northeastern Missouri, an
hour's drive from just about anywhere and a lifetime away
from the desert of northern Iraq, where she served for a year
with the Army's 10lst Airborne Division.
These days, her life is an open book, told in candid detail
in her recently published autobiography ``The Heart of a
Soldier: A True Story of Love, War and Sacrifice.'' But the
residents of Macon, her hometown of 5,500, already knew the
basic plot line:
How the former Kate Decker, who grew up wanting to join the
Army, completed ROTC training in college and then rose to the
rank of captain.
How, as a logistics officer, she convoyed across Iraq
during the opening days of the war.
How she married her high school sweetheart, Mike Blaise,
who would become a chief warrant officer with the 101st He
was a pilot who loved flying Kiowa helicopters and who saw
his share of combat.
How they served together in Iraq and how she made it home
safely--but he did not.
``Some people tell me that they know how it ends, and yet
they hope for a different ending,'' Blaise says.
An ending where a Kiowa won't crash in the desert on a
dark, windy January night in 2004, the eve of her unit's
departure for home.
Others have told her that although they didn't know her
husband, they feel like they do after reading her story.
``That's why I wrote the book,'' she says simply.
A story to tell
Since the book's publication in January, Blaise, who just
turned 30, has gracefully accepted her new role as author,
along with all of the trimmings--public appearances and media
interviews.
On this spring morning, she was in neighboring Atlanta, a
town of about 500 people, to speak at Atlanta C-3, a well-
used brick complex that houses all of the district's 220
students, from kindergarten through high school.
Mike Blaise attended this school through eighth grade,
until his family moved to Macon.
``Your teachers asked me to come today to speak about
attitude. I had the attitude that nobody was going to tell me
that I couldn't do what I wanted to accomplish,'' Blaise told
the students who lined the wooden bleachers of the
gymnasium--third-graders to her left, high schoolers to
her right.
``Life takes a lot of turns you don't expect. Bad stuff
happens. I've lived the life I've somewhat planned. I did
join the Army. I also wrote a book. And I certainly never
thought I would write a book.''
Dressed in khakis and an olive green Harley-Davidson shirt,
Blaise stood before the microphone looking at ease, although
she admitted to being nervous about speaking in public. So
she made herself more comfortable, perching on a table where
she would later sign copies of her book.
The students listened respectfully, their hands waving in
the air when she asked if they had questions. The third-
graders wanted to know what it was like in Iraq. So she
talked about the gritty sand, camel spiders and heat that can
reach beyond 120 degrees.
The high schoolers wanted to know whether she still
believes in the war. And, on this issue, she stands as solid
as a storm cellar during a tornado.
``It's hard to stay positive about Iraq because of what you
see on the news, but I was able to be there, and I know what
a difference we are making there,'' she says firmly. ``The
main thing is that we gave the Iraqi people the power to make
their own decisions.''
Though much of this was serious talk, she kept the mood
light, particularly when the questions had to do with her
writing.
``I don't have to worry about my dad finding out about
anything I've done--I've written a book,'' she said with a
smile.
Getting published was the result of a series of right-
place-at-the-right-time moments, starting when a women's
golfing magazine asked her to write about a makeshift course
at her Army base in Iraq.
``I am blessed,'' she says. ``I didn't have to work nearly
as hard as most authors have to work.''
But the material for her story--the living of it--was hard-
earned and paid for in full.
a time to heal
After leaving the Army, Blaise came home to heal.
She grew up on Crestview Street in a newer section of
Macon, the seat of Macon County, about 150 miles from St.
Louis. Not
[[Page S1011]]
far from her old neighborhood, Blaise found her perfect
house, though it needed some fixing, too.
Her father, Steve Decker, a former civil engineer for the
state, lives nearby on a 250-acre farm that has been in the
Decker family for generations.
Blaise has slowly remodeled the house, painting the rooms
in deep, rich colors, and the kitchen a cheery 1950s red and
white. Walls hold framed photos with military themes--she is
an avid student of military history--and photos of Mike
Blaise. His Air Cavalry hat is in the living room, resting
atop the triangular case that holds his medals and the
American flag that draped his casket.
It was in this home that Blaise came to terms with her
loss. For the better part of a year, she spent hours in her
office, writing chapters and e-mailing them to Dana White, a
writer-editor in New York, who co-authored her book.
She says the toughest part wasn't writing about the night
in Iraq when she was told of her husband's helicopter
accident.
``It's easy to be sad about the sad things,'' she says.
``It was the happy parts that were the hardest. They made me
miss him more.''
The Mike Blaise she loved was a big guy who took her deer
hunting and made her laugh and liked to sing country songs in
karaoke bars.
The book is, in fact, full of happy times, a tribute to
growing up in small-town America.
She tells tales on her younger brother and three older
sisters--in particular her sister Lindsey, who served in Iraq
with the Missouri National Guard.
Blaise writes that her mother's injury in a car accident
was the day that changed everything for her. Marie Decker
survived but now lives in a long-term care facility.
The book is also a tribute to the tenacity of women who
have found homes and carved out careers in the predominantly
male world of the military. Blaise has little patience with
recent political skirmishes that would have limited the roles
of servicewomen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
``This genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of coaxing
will get her back in,'' she says in her book.
But mostly, the book is a tribute to the life and love of a
devoted couple who struggled to maintain their marriage
through long separations and their share of disappointments.
She says her late husband would have insisted on such
honesty.
``Mike would have been uncomfortable being glorified,'' she
says.
She still has Scout, the dog the Blaises adopted while
serving in Korea. He is a prize, with his baby-seal face and
Yodalike ears, a black and white softie who warily eyes
strangers and barks at the Amish buggies that pass by their
house on U.S. Highway 36.
Though writing the book was an emotional ordeal, it also
helped her come to grips with her sadness, she says.
``The day I finished writing, I felt an overwhelming sense
of peace,'' she says.
the next chapter
Blaise jokes that some people in Macon feared she was
writing a tell-all. And, in effect, that's what she did--she
told it all, as it related to her life.
``I think her experience growing up was all of our
experiences. Nothing could shock us,'' said Sharon
Pennington, who teaches business and computer classes at
Atlanta and remembers Mike Blaise as a shy youngster, two
years younger than she is.
Kathy Baker, the school superintendent's secretary, was
first in line to have Blaise autograph her book.
``I haven't read it. I can't,'' said Baker, her eyes
growing moist. ``It's too close.''
Baker knows many of Blaise's relatives, including Mike's
grandfather, Virgil, whom everyone called Grampy. He died
while the Blaises were still in Iraq, and Mike Blaise is
buried next to him in Shelby Memorial Cemetery.
Blaise says she's not really sure what she will do with the
rest of her life. She says she would consider writing another
book, perhaps about grief, which she knows a lot about.
Though people gave her books on grief, she found them less
than helpful with their flowery sentiments. Her book would be
more real.
``It's hard to grieve,'' she says. ``It sucks, and it's
going to suck for a long time.''
In the meantime, Blaise has joined the Missouri National
Guard's 175th Military Police, based in Columbia, because
being in the military remains important to her.
``It's the one thing that I do that's for the greater
good,'' she says.
When the unit was sent to New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina, she found the deployment satisfying in a new way.
``I had never done anything that helped Americans,'' Blaise
said.
Blaise recently got engaged to a helicopter pilot who knew
her late husband in flight school. Ironically, it was Mike
Blaise's affection for his Harley-Davidson motorcycle that
brought this new love into her life. They met while riding
their Harleys to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South
Dakota, fulfilling a wish that Mike had made to attend the
event after the war.
Blaise says she wasn't looking for romance, and neither was
her fiancee. It was an unexpected gift, another of those
life's blessings she often talks about.
``Knowing that Mike knew him somehow eases the guilt,'' she
says. ``God doesn't always agree with what you set for
yourself. ``
____________________