[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 116 (Thursday, July 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1560-E1561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RESPONSIBLE REDEPLOYMENT FROM IRAQ ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2007

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 2956, the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act. This legislation 
requires a responsible redeployment of U.S. troops beginning within 120 
days of enactment and ending by April 1, 2008. Additionally, this bill 
requires the President to publicly justify the post-redeployment 
missions for the U.S. military in Iraq and the minimum

[[Page E1561]]

number of troops necessary to carry out those missions.
  Madam Speaker, we have sacrificed the lives of more than 3,609 
soldiers and 26,695 wounded Americans, many with injuries from which 
they will never recover. We have a moral obligation to start the 
process of bringing our troops home, on our watch. A troop reduction 
will set our country in the right direction.
  After more than 4 years of fighting, $442 billion spent, and 
thousands of American and Iraqi lives lost in this war, the war in Iraq 
has evolved into a conundrum of massive proportions. American money, in 
the amount of almost $330 million per day, is being spent on the war. 
Distinguished colleagues, this adds up to more than $10 billion per 
month.
  I believe history will regard the decision to go to war in Iraq as a 
tragic mistake, especially when we realize the cost of this war. The 
House of Representatives has authorized $39.8 billion for the 
Department of Homeland Security for fiscal year 2008. The United States 
government will approximately spend that same amount in Iraq within a 
span of only 120 days.
  The Administration's decision to increase the number of troops in 
Iraq has added to the already tremendous strain on our military 
personnel and their families. Both President Bush and General David H. 
Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, have repeatedly said that 
there is no military solution to Iraq and that the sectarian strife and 
the insurgency can be resolved only by the Iraqi government. 
Simultaneously, the personal lives of our troops have been devastated 
by unexpected early deployments or unexpected delays in their 
homecomings. Consequently, we have a moral obligation to get our troops 
out of Iraq with the same determination that got them into Iraq in the 
first place.
  While our Administration's attention has been on Iraq, 6 years after 
the Bush administration declared war on al Qaeda, the terrorist network 
is gaining strength and has established a safe haven in remote tribal 
areas of western Pakistan for training and planning attacks. The most 
recent National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concludes that al Qaeda is 
growing stronger. The report states that al Qaeda may now be a stronger 
terrorist organization now than it was just a year ago, and may be back 
to its pre-9/11 strength and reach. Meanwhile, as Osama bin Laden 
operates freely along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the 
Administration wants to keep our troops in an open-ended Iraqi civil 
war. The same administration report concludes that the terrorist group 
has significantly rebuilt itself despite concerted U.S. attempts to 
smash the network. Interestingly, while the Administration has 
escalated our involvement in Iraq, al Qaeda has gained more training, 
more money, and enhanced their communications.
  In addition, according to the Bush Administration's own assessment, 
the Iraqi government achieved only eight of 18 political and security 
benchmarks, a mixed rating on two and an unsatisfactory rating on eight 
benchmarks in a White House report prepared for Congress. The 
Administration has borne witness to the fact that we cannot continue to 
support the Iraqi government while the Iraqi government fails to 
achieve even moderate success. Therefore, it is time for them to 
determine their own destiny. We can continue to extend the hand of 
friendship, but we have to handover the country to them. Iraqis must 
take control of their streets, their towns, and their country so we can 
bring our troops home.
  Mr. Speaker, it is now time to require the President and the 
Secretary of Defense to commence the reduction of the number of United 
States Armed Forces in Iraq to a limited presence and begin to bring 
our troops home. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2956, the 
Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act.

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