[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 106 (Thursday, June 28, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7415-H7416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IRAQ
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, President Bush finds himself increasingly
isolated on the issue of Iraq. Public support continues to evaporate.
This week in a devastating blow to the President's policy, Indiana
Senator Richard Lugar, ranking member of the Foreign Relations
Committee, a respected voice and, I might say, a very experienced voice
on foreign policy for the past 30 years, publicly broke with the Bush
administration on Iraq.
In remarks on the Senate floor which are prominently featured on the
home page of his Web site, Senator Lugar said: ``Our course in Iraq has
lost contact with our vital national security interests in the Middle
East and beyond. Our continuing absorption with military activities in
Iraq is limiting our diplomatic assertiveness there and elsewhere in
the world. The prospects that the current ``surge'' strategy will
succeed in the way originally envisioned by the President are very
limited within the short period framed by our own domestic political
debate. And the strident, polarized nature of that debate increases the
risk that our involvement in Iraq will end in a poorly planned
withdrawal that undercuts our vital interests in the Middle East.
Unless we recalibrate our strategy in Iraq to fit our domestic
political conditions and the broader needs of U.S. national security,
we risk foreign policy failures that could greatly diminish our
influence across that region and the world.''
Senator Lugar framed the debate in terms of U.S. interests in the
Middle East and the world. He is correct to note that: ``The current
surge strategy is not an effective means of protecting those interests.
Its prospects for success are too dependent on the actions of others
who do not share our agenda. It relies on military power to achieve
goals that it cannot achieve. It distances allies that we will need for
any regional diplomatic effort. Its failure, without a careful
transition to a backup policy, would intensify our loss of credibility.
It uses tremendous amounts of resources that cannot be employed in
other ways to secure our objectives. And it lacks domestic support that
is necessary to sustain a policy of this type.''
I would add several other observations: Rising casualties signal a
strategy that is not working.
The U.S. death toll has risen to over 3,555 and there are that many
Iraqis dying every month. President Bush himself has admitted his surge
will result in more American casualties, a phenomenon we in Ohio know
well as last week we lost another airman, F-16 pilot Kevin Sonnenburg,
who was laid to rest.
Madam Speaker, I would like to place in the Record other important
information about the situation in Iraq. Flexibility is not the
President's strong suit, and it is time for President Bush to get in
touch with reality before he does more damage to the position of the
United States in the Middle East and before we lose more of our sons
and daughters and the nation of Iraq loses more of its sons and
daughters.
Madam Speaker, President Bush finds himself increasingly isolated on
the issue of Iraq. Public support continues to evaporate. This week, in
a devastating blow to the President's policy, Senator Richard Lugar,
ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee and a respected voice
on foreign policy for the past 30 years, publicly broke with the Bush
Administration on Iraq.
In remarks on the Senate floor, which are prominently featured on the
home page of his Web site, Senator Lugar said:
. . . (O)ur course in Iraq has lost contact with our vital
national security interests in the Middle East and beyond.
Our continuing absorption with military activities in Iraq is
limiting our diplomatic assertiveness there and elsewhere in
the world. The prospects that the current ``surge'' strategy
will succeed in the way originally envisioned by the
President are very limited within the short period framed by
our own domestic political debate. And the strident,
polarized nature of that debate increases the risk that our
involvement in Iraq will end in a poorly planned withdrawal
that undercuts our vital interests in the Middle East. Unless
we recalibrate our strategy in Iraq to fit our domestic
political conditions and the broader needs of U.S. national
security, we risk foreign policy failures that could greatly
diminish our influence in the region and the world.
Senator Lugar frames the debate in terms of U.S. interests in the
Middle East and the world. He is correct to note that:
. . . (T)he current surge strategy is not an effective
means of protecting these interests. Its prospects for
success are too dependent on the actions of others who do not
share our agenda. It relies on military power to achieve
goals that it cannot achieve. It distances allies that we
will need for any regional diplomatic effort. Its failure,
without a careful transition to a backup policy would
intensify our loss of credibility. It uses tremendous amounts
of resources that cannot be employed in other ways to secure
our objectives. And it lacks domestic support that is
necessary to sustain a policy of this type.
I would add several other observations:
rising casualties signal a strategy that is not working
When a U.S. soldier was killed recently by a roadside bomb in the
southwestern section of Baghdad, the death toll for American service
personnel reached 3,500 over the four years of this war.
The U.S. death toll has risen over 3555.
President Bush himself admitted his ``surge'' will result in more
American casualties--a phenomenon that has become all too frequent as a
result of the Administration's conduct of the war. Even now, Northwest
Ohio is mourning the loss of an F-16 pilot from the 180th Fighter Wing
out of Toledo.
We stand foursquare behind our troops. We will support them in every
possible way.
Sooner or later, President Bush has to face the facts: the American
people will not sacrifice their sons and daughters in a failed
strategy.
soldiers becoming increasingly disillusioned
Our armed forces are being stretched too thin, but the White House
just won't listen. Senator Lugar said in his speech: ``The window
during which we can continue to employ American troops in Iraqi
neighborhoods without damaging our military strength or our ability to
respond to other national security priorities is closing.''
Tour after tour in Iraq are taxing the best troops in the world, our
American soldiers, leaving them increasingly disillusioned with the
mission.
Soldiers are home no longer than 24 hours before they receive a phone
call telling them to change their plans because they are going back to
Iraq.
Our troops have stepped up to the plate, they have served with honor,
and now it is time for their Iraqi counterparts to step up.
Our unit has already sent two soldiers in a box. My
soldiers don't see the same level of commitment from the
Iraqi Army units they're partnered with.--Captain Douglas
Rogers of Delta Company.
Meanwhile, the line between ally and foe is continuing to be blurred
as soldiers watch shadowy militia commanders installed as Iraqi Army
officers, which places all our forces in a vulnerable position, heavily
susceptible to internal as well as external terrorist attacks.
the war is causing neuropsychiatric illness among our troops
The war in Iraq is taking a hidden toll on the American forces:
38 percent of soldiers, 31 percent of our Marines, 49 percent of our
Army National Guard and 43 percent of our Marine reservists have
reported symptoms of neuropsychiatric illnesses--PTSD, anxiety,
depression.
Mental health care stigma remains pervasive and is a significant
barrier to care.
Mental health professionals are not sufficiently accessible to
service members and their families.
There are significant gaps in the continuum of care for psychological
health.
[[Page H7416]]
The military system does not have enough resources, funding or
personnel to adequately support the neuropsychological health of
service members and their families in peace and during conflict.
There is a shortage of active-duty mental health professionals. The
system has been stressed by repeated deployments and other
frustrations, and psychologists and psychiatric nurses are leaving the
military in growing numbers:
Air Force lost 20 percent of mental health workers from 2003-2007.
Navy lost 15 percent of mental health workers from 2003-2006.
Army lost 8 percent of mental health workers from 2003-2005.
This report points to significant shortfalls in achieving
goals and taking care of our service members and their
families.--Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of
defense for health affairs
The current complement of mental health professionals is
woefully inadequate.--MHTF Report.
Conclusion
Madam Speaker, flexibility is not President Bush's strong suit.
As his policy in Iraq continued to unravel, he dug his heels in and
refused to listen to the generals, to the Congress or to the American
people.
As the situation in Iraq continued to deteriorate, the President kept
insisting that things were getting better and the violence was
beginning to subside.
As civil society devolved into chaos, President Bush held onto the
false hope that the Iraqi people were somehow prepared to take the
necessary steps toward creating a democracy.
Madam Speaker, President Bush cannot sustain this charade any longer.
The ``wise men'' of the Republican Party, including Senator Lugar,
are calling into question the fundamental precepts of the Bush policy
and calling for a major overhaul.
The president's Iraq policy stands discredited in the eyes of the
world. At this point, only President Bush, Vice President Cheney and
Prime Minister Tony Blair seem to believe that the original mission has
any chance of success.
It is time, Madam Speaker, for President Bush to get in touch with
reality before he does anymore damage to the position of the United
States in the Middle East and before we lose in the Middle East even
more of our sons and daughters in this disastrous war.
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