[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 21, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ON THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE IRAQ WAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2007

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support both 
for the men and women fighting for our Nation with immeasurable courage 
and commitment and for the legislation that would bring them home, the 
``U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act.''
  While I have opposed this war from the beginning, our duty now is to 
resolve this conflict as quickly as possible. We must stabilize the 
country, protect innocent Iraqis, and lay the groundwork to return our 
troops to their families.
  We were lead into war on the basis of false presumptions drawn from 
faulty intelligence. Our soldiers are now being attacked daily by 
anonymous road-side bombs that the factions fighting in a civil war are 
targeting against our troops--whom we were told would be greeted as 
liberators.
  Billions of taxpayer dollars have simply vanished in Iraq, while 
billions more have been given away in no-bid contracts or embezzled. At 
the same time, our troops are going without the body armor and the 
advanced HUMVEE protections--such as the MRAP system--that would reduce 
casualties. This is simply inexcusable.
  Further, at the present time, according to a survey by USA Today and 
other media, 6 in 10 Iraqis (61 percent) believe their lives are going 
badly, while only a third (35 percent) agree that improvements in 
current conditions are on the horizon.
  Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to the disaster that the 
Administration's actions in Iraq have created.
  However, I believe we must try to ensure that we do not leave Iraq 
worse off than it was before the invasion. Until Iraqis feel safe in 
their country and see progress in their lives, it will not be possible 
to bring stability to that nation.
  Importantly, as the most recent National Intelligence Estimate has 
made clear, this is not something that can be accomplished by the use 
of military force--it can be achieved only when Iraqis come together to 
make the difficult political decisions that will create a government 
truly capable of governing.
  Further, the Iraq Study Group advised that a gradual draw-down of 
troops is most likely to stabilize the country when combined with 
serious negotiations with all of Iraq's neighbors--including Iran and 
Syria.
  This is why I stand here today in support of the ``U.S. Troop 
Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act.'' This bill 
would hold the President and Iraq to the benchmarks President Bush 
himself has stated must be reached to resolve this crisis.
  If these benchmarks are not being met in the months to come, this Act 
would require that our troops be redeployed. Frankly, if we are not 
making progress in Iraq, we have no reason to be there.
  Further, we owe it to the Iraqis, who have lost tens of thousands of 
their loved ones, to require that the political solutions that are 
central to their success are the benchmarks against which we measure 
our progress.
  Additionally, let me note that this bill would also require that all 
forces sent to battle be adequately rested, trained, and equipped. 
While the President could waive this requirement, frankly I do not 
believe it is ever in our interest to send forces into combat who are 
not fully ready and who do not have the latest protective equipment we 
can provide.
  Our forces have done all and more than we have asked of them and 
their families have been patiently sacrificing for four long years. We 
owe it to them to adequately protect them while they are deployed and 
to bring them home before the 5th anniversary of this war passes.
  That is why I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.

                          ____________________