[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 73 (Friday, May 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E960-E961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   U.S. TROOP READINESS, VETERANS' CARE, KATRINA RECOVERY, AND IRAQ 
    ACCOUNTABILITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2007--VETO MESSAGE FROM THE 
          PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 110-31)

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 2, 2007

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, for the third time I will 
vote in strong support of H.R. 1591, The Iraq Accountability Act. This 
time I will vote to override the President's veto of this critical 
legislation. With U.S. troop levels in Iraq increasing towards 170,000, 
all of whom are in the middle of a civil war; it is an act of political 
gamesmanship, not executive leadership, for President Bush to veto this 
legislation. With this veto, President Bush, with the strong support of 
his Republican minority in Congress, rejected $95.5 billion for our 
troops in harm's way and walks away from billions in needed funds for 
our veterans. The President vetoed this bill and rejected providing our 
troops with needed training, mandatory rest time, and an exit strategy 
from a civil war in Iraq.
  This presidential veto sends a clear message to Congress and to the 
overwhelming majority of American people who are demanding a change in 
this administration's Iraq policy. The message is this: the White House 
has no intentions of holding Iraq's political leaders accountable for 
the future of their country. They have no intention of honoring the 
benchmarks his administration has established for measuring success in 
Iraq. And, President Bush has no intention of ending the U.S. 
military's presence in Iraq during his remaining 20 months in the White 
House. The only timetable this president is likely to honor will result 
in him walking out of the White House on January 20, 2009, leaving 
behind more than a hundred thousand U.S. troops in Iraq and the 
greatest foreign policy disaster in American history for a new 
president to address.
  The Democratic majority in this House have made the needs of our 
troops, our veterans and our Nation's security our top priority. Unlike 
the minority in Congress and the White

[[Page E961]]

House, we are not deluded by a false hope that Iraq will suddenly 
transform itself into a nation of peace and tranquility with a surge of 
U.S. troops. Every indicator--military, economic and social--
demonstrates that U.S. troops and American taxpayers are bearing an 
overwhelming burden on behalf of a nation that is broken and an Iraqi 
political leadership that refuses to act to retain sovereignty over 
their own nation.
  Iraqis must take responsibility for the future of their nation, not 
U.S. troops. The only solution that can be achieved and sustained in 
Iraq is through political dialogue, not expanded military action by a 
foreign army. President Bush's failed policy has U.S. troops doing the 
job Iraqi soldiers and police should be doing. The veto of this 
legislation not only strips General Petraeus and all our commanders on 
the ground of any leverage to hold Iraq's political leaders 
accountable, it ensures that U.S. troops will continue being engaged in 
door-to-door searches, Baghdad foot patrols and raids on torture 
centers run by Iraqi security forces.
  Last month, 104 Americans were killed in Iraq. The President's surge 
is not creating security for Iraqis, but has placed U.S. troops at 
greater risk. In March, 2,762 Iraqi civilians and policemen were 
killed. In April thousands more Iraqis were killed. On Monday, sixty 
Iraqis were killed, including the thirteen corpses found in Baghdad, 
``all blindfolded, handcuffed and shot in the head'' according to the 
Washington Post.
  These are not just numbers, they are lives. They are the lives of men 
and women, children as well, American soldiers and Iraqi civilians, 
killed as part of a bloody civil war. More than 50,000 Iraqi are 
fleeing their country every month. Two million Iraqis are now refugees 
and another 1.9 million Iraqis are internally displaced because of 
sectarian killings, ethnic cleansing and civil war. For my colleagues 
who warn about a horrific humanitarian crisis if this legislation 
becomes law, why do you ignore the horrific humanitarian crisis that is 
taking place right now as a result of the failed policies of this White 
House?
  I will vote to override this veto. This legislation starts the 
process of ending the war in Iraq. This legislation not only holds the 
Iraqis accountable, it holds President Bush accountable as well. This 
war started because of distortions, false information and the 
determination of the Bush White House to deceive the American people, 
not a threat to our national security. It has always been a war of 
choice and an unjust war. The empty rhetoric from the Republicans in 
this chamber claims that this legislation puts the American people at 
risk, yet it is their stay the course support for a disastrous Iraq 
policy that harms America. My Republican colleagues' rejection of 
accountability standards, benchmarks for success, and an exit strategy 
from Iraq is an indication of their blind loyalty to President Bush, 
his failed leadership and a perpetuation of the deceit that brought us 
the Iraq War.
  I urge all my colleagues to vote to override President Bush's veto of 
H.R. 1591 and let us start down the path of successfully ending the war 
in Iraq.

                          ____________________