[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 31, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1362-S1363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I appreciate the comments we have heard 
this morning from the distinguished Senator from Nevada and the 
distinguished Senator from Louisiana, and I couldn't agree more with 
the comments they have made. I would like to add some, perhaps, even 
more eloquent words--and rest assured they are not mine--to this debate 
because I think it helps us understand in a way that we might not 
otherwise understand what is at stake and what the people who are most 
directly impacted believe is at stake in the war on terror, 
particularly the conflict in Iraq.
  I first want to quote the words of Roy Velez. Roy is from Lubbock, 
TX, and has lost two sons--one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. 
Recently, Roy Velez said:

       It is not about President Bush. It is not about being a 
     Democrat or a Republican. It is about standing behind a 
     country that we love so much. I know it has cost us a lot in 
     lives, including my two sons, and it has taken a toll on 
     America. But we can't walk away from this war until we're 
     finished.

  I don't know anyone who has earned the right to speak so directly to 
what is at stake, the sacrifices that have been made, and the 
consequences of our leaving Iraq before it is stabilized and able to 
govern and defend itself.
  Then there is also the story of 2LT Mark J. Daily. Lieutenant Daily 
was 23 years old from Irvine, CA. He was with the 4th Brigade Combat 
Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Bliss, TX. Lieutenant Daily was 
killed on January 15 when an improvised explosive device exploded and 
ripped through his vehicle, taking his life and those of three fellow 
soldiers. Mark had been, as so many of our military have done, keeping 
in touch with his family via e-mail, and he maintained a blog on the 
popular My Space Web site. In that blog, Mark specifically explained 
why he joined, and this is what he wrote:

       Why I joined: This question has been asked of me so many 
     times in so many different contexts that I thought it would 
     be best if I wrote my reasons for joining the Army on my page 
     for all to see. First, the more accurate question is why I 
     volunteered to go to Iraq. After all, I joined the Army a 
     week after we declared war on Saddam's government with the 
     intention of going to Iraq. Now, after years of training and 
     preparation, I am finally here. Much has changed in the last 
     three years. The criminal Baath regime has been replaced by 
     an insurgency fueled by Iraq's neighbors who hope to 
     partition Iraq for their own ends. This is coupled with the 
     ever-present transnational militant Islamist movement which 
     has seized upon Iraq as the greatest way to kill Americans, 
     along with anyone else who happens to be standing near. What 
     was once a paralyzed state of fear is now the staging area 
     for one of the largest transformations of power and ideology 
     the Middle East has experienced since the collapse of the 
     Ottoman Empire.

  I would say in closing that we can't claim to support the troops and 
not support their mission. If we don't support the mission, we should 
not pass nonbinding resolutions. We should do everything within our 
power to stop it. I do believe that we should support that mission. I 
do believe we should support our troops. That is why I believe we 
should send them the message that, yes, we believe you can succeed, and 
it is important to our national security that you do.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from South Carolina is 
recognized.
  Mr. DeMINT. I thank the Senator from Texas, and I would like to add 
my comments to his. We are certainly discussing probably one of the 
most deadly serious issues that I have been a part of since being in 
the Congress. I must start by expressing my respect for the Senators 
who are proposing this resolution. I know their intent is good. They 
have heartfelt concerns about what we are doing.
  But what I would like to do is remind all of us that our role is a 
role of being leaders, not just being critics. As elected officials, we 
know what it is like to have critics second-guess all the decisions we 
make, but our job as Senators is to be leaders; and to be leaders, we 
have to make good decisions. If we make good decisions, we have to know 
what our real choices are. I am afraid those who are proposing this 
resolution are not considering the real choices because we can keep the 
status quo, we can withdraw and be defeated, or we can continue until 
we win and accomplish our goals in Iraq.
  This resolution is a resolution of defeat and disgrace. There is no 
other way it could come out. That is the choice they are making. That 
is the decision they are making because we know if we withdraw and 
leave this to the Iraqis when they are not ready, we will lose all. Not 
only will we be disgraced as a nation, but we will have probably the 
biggest catastrophe--human catastrophe as well as political 
catastrophe--in the Middle East that is going to occur. We have to 
discuss the real implications of that choice.
  I oppose this resolution because it does not support our mission, it 
does not support success, and it makes the decision for defeat. Real 
leaders would come up with a plan of action that they follow through 
on. And whether we agree with the President or not, he has put a plan 
on the table and he intends to follow through on it with all the advice 
he can get from his military people. Our role is not just to criticize 
that, but if we don't agree, it is to come up with another plan, 
propose it, and our responsibility is to sell it to the American 
people--not just to criticize, not to come up with resolutions that 
don't mean anything, intended to embarrass the President. But what it 
really does is deteriorate the morale of our troops.
  I know we are frustrated with this war, and the fear of failure is 
all around us. But we cannot digress into being critics in this body. 
Our job is to lead.
  I want to conclude this morning with some comments from the soldiers. 
I know other Senators have called parents who have soldier sons and 
daughters who have been killed. I have not had one who told me to get 
out of Iraq. I have had a lot of them tell me: Win. That is how to 
honor the sacrifice is to win.
  SPC Peter Manna:

       If they don't think we're doing a good job, everything we 
     have done here is all in vain.

  We have a number of these, but I don't have time to read them all.
  SGT Manuel Sahagun said:

       One thing I don't like is when people back home say they 
     support the troops but they don't support the war. If they're 
     going to support us, support us all the way.

  Americans are not against this war; they are against losing. They 
need to know we can win it.
  General Petraeus, the best general that we have, whom we have just 
approved, confirmed in the Senate, has told us that we can succeed with 
the President's plan. This is our last best hope to leave Iraq as a 
free democracy and to help stabilize the Middle East. The other choice 
is defeat and disgrace.
  Mr. President, I call on all of my Senate colleagues not to support 
this resolution and to act as leaders: to put forward a plan or support 
the one that the President has put forward.
  I yield the floor and reserve the remainder of the time.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry: I believe I have 
time reserved at this point. I was going to speak for a little over 20 
minutes or so. I would like to inquire through the Chair of my 
colleagues if they wish to finish their remarks before I go to mine.

[[Page S1363]]

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, in response to the distinguished Senator 
from Oregon, I believe our morning business time has expired and we 
would yield back any remaining time so the Senator from Oregon can 
begin his remarks.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oregon is 
recognized.
  Mr. WYDEN. I thank my colleagues for their courtesy.

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