[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE IRAQ STUDY GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS IMPLEMENTATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to introduce 
legislation to implement the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group 
(ISG)--also known as the ``Baker Hamilton Commission''--as a bipartisan 
foundation for long overdue strategic change in our policy in Iraq.
  I am pleased to be joined by my colleagues Representatives Frank 
Wolf, Michael McCaul, and Daniel Lipinski--and 41 other Members--in 
introducing this bill, and I am grateful for all their help in building 
support for this legislation. Representative Wolf deserves special 
recognition for the role he played in spearheading the creation of the 
Iraq Study Group and in pushing forward its recommendations.
  The ISG was created in March 2006 at the request of a bipartisan 
group of Members of Congress, led by Representative Wolf, and was co-
chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former chairman of 
the Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Lee Hamilton. In December 
2006, the ISG released its recommendations and outlined a bipartisan 
approach to bringing a responsible conclusion to the Iraq war.
  What this legislation does is to take these recommendations and 
establish them as official United States policy. Among the 
recommendations outlined in the bill are a new diplomatic offensive in 
the region that includes the creation of the Iraq International Support 
Group; giving the highest priority to training, equipping and advising 
the Iraqi military and security forces; assessing the full budgetary 
and personnel impact of the war in Iraq on the U.S. military; 
accelerating and increasing oil production and accountability including 
equitable distribution of oil revenues in Iraq; implementing and 
oversight of economic reconstruction programs in Iraq with the creation 
of a new Senior Advisor for Economic Reconstruction; ensuring that the 
President includes the cost of the war in his annual budget request; 
and setting conditions that can lead to redeployment of U.S. combat 
forces as early as the first quarter of 2008, including necessary 
diplomatic, infrastructure and security benchmarks.
  It is clear to me that a Democratic majority in Congress cannot 
unilaterally legislate an end to this war and expect its architect and 
champion--President Bush--to sign on the dotted line. In my view, the 
only way to end this war--and to end it in a way that minimizes the 
likelihood of greater regional bloodshed--is to broaden the tent of 
opposition, and engage concerned Republicans in pressuring the Bush 
Administration to change course. That is why I worked last year with 
Representative Joe Schwarz on a resolution insisting on benchmarks for 
Iraqi political stability and a process to hold the Bush Administration 
accountable.

  That is why I am introducing this bill today. Democrats and 
Republicans must work together to change the course in Iraq, and 
implementing the major policy recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq 
Study Group is an overdue step in this direction.
  As an early and consistent opponent of this war I do not believe that 
embracing these recommendations is the only action we in Congress must 
take, but it is important as a foundation. I, for one, will also 
continue to push for a strategy of military disengagement in Iraq and 
phased redeployment of our forces, because I do not believe we should 
ask our soldiers to referee a civil war.
  Ending American military participation in this war and managing the 
consequences of the Bush Administration's failures will not be easy and 
it will not come overnight, but it will come--and the ISG 
recommendations offer a means of moving toward these goals.
  Many of us embraced the ISG's recommendations when the report was 
first released last year, and many of us believe that the report still 
provides a comprehensive blueprint for a way forward in Iraq and the 
Middle East, from both the military and the diplomatic perspective.
  I do not believe the ISG recommendations or my bill will offer a 
complete solution, but they will offer a start.
  We went into war as a badly divided country; I hope we can end it 
differently and that is my motivation in offering this bill today.

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