[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H6726-H6727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1900
                        GETTING SMART ABOUT IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I have come down to this floor more than 
200 times to hold the administration accountable for its actions in 
Iraq. Since then, we have seen it all, from freedom fries to ``the 
surge.'' During these dog days of summer, however, we can't relent. We 
have to join together as never before because this administration is 
moving in new and even more dangerous directions in foreign policy. Let 
me give you an example.
  Several weeks ago, the administration confirmed what I had been 
saying

[[Page H6727]]

for the last 3 or 4 years; namely, that they are determined to maintain 
tens of thousands of American troops on permanent military bases in 
Iraq for many decades to come. To support this position, they draw an 
absurd comparison between the situation in Iraq and the situation in 
South Korea. South Korea, where U.S. troops have been stationed for 
more than 50 years. And then White House spokesman Tony Snow said U.S. 
troops may have to stay in Iraq indefinitely to perform what he called 
an over-the-horizon support role. Over-the-horizon support role. George 
Orwell couldn't have said it any better. Call it what it really is, 
Tony: Occupation.
  Ever since the administration took us into Iraq, I have tried to get 
at the heart of what is wrong with this foreign policy, and I believe 
the answer is this: The administration's foreign policy has failed. It 
has failed because it sells America short. The administration believes 
that the only weapon we have to fight terrorism is military power, but 
by relying on military power alone and ignoring our many other 
strengths, they have made America much weaker, not stronger.
  There is another answer: A much different look at diplomacy and 
foreign policy. First, we must reestablish our moral leadership and 
regain our standing in the global community by using diplomacy as our 
first and best resort, and war only as our last resort. President 
Roosevelt said that the Presidency is preeminently a place of moral 
leadership, and that is something this administration must learn.
  Second, we must rebuild our international alliances. We may be a 
Superpower, but we don't have super powers like Spiderman. So, we need 
the help of other nations. International cooperation is by far the best 
way to dismantle terrorist networks, manage globalization, stop the 
spread of disease and global warming, and fight the poverty that is the 
breeding ground of terrorism.
  Third, Mr. Speaker, we must stop using fear as an excuse to justify 
immoral wars, or as a bludgeon to crush dissent and trash our 
Constitution. Again, quoting President Roosevelt, the only thing we 
have to fear, he said, is fear itself. Well, this administration 
believes that without fear, they can't move their agenda.
  Fourth, we must end our addiction to foreign oil that pumps billions 
of dollars into autocratic regimes and props them up. Let's get serious 
about sustainable energy. And let's export green technology instead of 
war.
  Next, we must renew our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation. It is 
sheer hypocrisy to demand that Iran and North Korea halt their nuclear 
programs while we talk about developing new nuclear weapons of our very 
own.
  And finally, we must take the money we are investing in war and 
reinvest it in what makes us truly strong: education, health care, 
jobs, child care, the environment, and nonviolent problem solving.
  I have offered a national security plan myself which rests on these 
broad principles. It's called SMART, which stands for Sensible 
Multilateral American Response to Terrorism. SMART, H. Res. 227, is 
deadly serious about stopping acts of terrorism. It would beef-up our 
intelligence capabilities. It would enhance our efforts to cut off 
financing for terrorist organizations.

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