[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 63 (Thursday, April 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H3673-H3674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FAILED FOREIGN POLICY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be on the 
floor with such a distinguished Speaker. Just a few minutes ago, we 
cast a vote that, again, reaffirms the crucialness and the necessity of 
moving forward with the emergency supplemental. The motion states that 
this House, which it did, reaffirms the deadlines for the redeployment 
of the United States forces in Iraq that were contained in the House-
passed emergency supplemental, a legislative initiative that captured, 
not the personal wants of individual Members, but responded to the 
immediacy of the crisis of the conflict in Iraq.
  It is a commonsense document. And even now, in the backdrop of 198 
brutally killed in the marketplace, most likely sustained by the false 
representation that there is now security in Baghdad, almost 200 
persons died, which indicates, although our military strongly has 
defended its role and can claim a military success, we have a failed 
foreign policy. And so I rise today to proudly reaffirm my commitment 
to deadlines as relates to redeploying of our troops.
  It may be that the military goes to battle, but, in fact, a nation 
goes to war. We owe the brave men and women of the United States 
military, the National Guard, the Reserves, the Air National Guard, and 
all aspects of the United States military, their families, the civilian 
force the obligation of a true and thoughtful policy that will work. 
The conflict in Iraq does not work. And the sadness is that even the 
government, the coalition government is falling apart.
  Some may argue, of course, that that suggests that we should stay the 
course; that we will look like we are bending to the enemy. Those of us 
who understand the vastness of this crisis realize that we must never 
falter in our war against terror. We must never let al Qaeda win, but 
we cannot allow our soldiers to be the targets of a sectarian war.
  Now, this legislation does not in any way tell the generals how to 
logistically move their troops. What it does do is give the policy 
commitment to the timelines to bring our soldiers home.
  It is clear that the military action has already been a success. And 
I commend my colleagues to H.R. 930, my legislation, A Military Success 
Act of 2007 and A Diplomatic Surge Act of 2007. It is now time to 
declare a military victory. Our soldiers have discovered there are no 
weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein has been deposed and been, 
if you will, displaced, and we have a government in place. But none of 
that can be, now, held for a reason that the soldiers must stay in 
place.
  Logistically, the generals may decide to redeploy these troops to the 
border, redeploy them to Kuwait. We allow and also defend the right of 
the United States military to give a logistical response to our policy 
demand.

[[Page H3674]]

  This is a demand of the American people. Sixty-nine percent of the 
American people, now, today, believe that we should leave Iraq. That is 
a gradual increase. I believe that Americans are patriots. They never 
cut and run. They will stand and defend their Nation.
  But we have an obligation, as Members of Congress holding the purse 
strings, to never frivolously send our soldiers into battle. We have an 
obligation, as the emergency supplemental has done, to provide post-
traumatic stress dollars, prosthetics, mental health needs, improving 
Walter Reed, helping military families, and, yes, helping children have 
universal access to health care.
  We have a crisis in Iraq. It is a crisis made by the continuing 
failed policies of this administration.
  Wake up. We owe a moral commitment to the soldiers on the 
battlefield.
  I am proud to have made that vote. I will make it again. And, 
frankly, I am concerned that when the olive branch of conciliation has 
been extended to this administration to come up with a real resolution 
to solve this war, we get a blank check from them, or at least no 
response.
  And so I ask my colleagues to stay the course on behalf of the 
American people and the patriots who are on the front line of Iraq. We 
owe them our duty to provide for them the right kind of road map.

                          ____________________