[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 122 (Friday, July 27, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H8814-H8815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           GENERAL PETRAEUS'S REPORT ON THE SITUATION IN 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. Madam Speaker, many of my colleagues are eagerly waiting 
for General Petraeus's report on the situation in Iraq this September. 
But I don't know why we are waiting because we have already heard from 
General Petraeus in September; September of 2004, that is.
  On September 26, 2004, General Petraeus wrote an op-ed piece in The 
Washington Post giving his assessment of the situation in Iraq at that 
time. I think it would be very constructive for us to review that 
article, and I would like to read pieces from it.
  Near the beginning General Petraeus says: ``Eighteen months after 
entering Iraq, I see tangible progress. Iraqi security elements are 
being rebuilt from the ground up. The institutions that oversee them 
are being reestablished from the top down. And Iraqi leaders are 
stepping forward, leading their country and their security forces 
courageously . . . ''
  He goes on to recognize that the Iraqis face a violent insurgency, 
but he says: ``Nonetheless, there are reasons for optimism . . . Iraqi 
police and soldiers . . . are performing a wide variety of security 
missions. Equipment is being delivered. Training is on track and 
increasing in capacity. Infrastructure is being repaired. Command and 
control structures and institutions are being reestablished.''
  And after citing many other examples of progress, the general ended 
his piece this way: ``I meet with Iraqi security force leaders every 
day . . . I have seen their determination and their desire to assume 
the full burden of security tasks for Iraq. There will be more tough 
times . . . along the way. Iraq's security forces are, however, 
developing steadily and they are in the fight. Momentum has gathered in 
recent months. With strong Iraqi leaders

[[Page H8815]]

out front and continued coalition support, this trend will continue.''
  Obviously, the general could not have been more wrong.
  Madam Speaker, we can only hope that when General Petraeus reports to 
us this September that he will take off his rose-colored glasses and 
see things more clearly. The American people deserve a full accounting 
of what is really going on. But it actually looks like we won't get it. 
Ambassador Crocker has said that the report will be just a 
``snapshot.'' So it looks like the White House spin machine is already 
trying to lower expectations and do preemptive damage control again.
  But the damage in Iraq has already been done, and the American people 
deserve more than spin. What we need is a national security plan that 
is based on what will actually make our Nation safe. Such a plan must 
include diplomacy, strong international alliances against terrorism, 
initiatives to address the root cause of terrorism, and a new approach 
to foreign policy, an approach that restores America's credibility and 
moral leadership in the world.
  I have proposed such a national security plan. It is called SMART, 
which stands for Sensible, Multilateral American Response to Terrorism. 
I invite all my colleagues to learn about it and consider this plan.
  In the meantime, the runup to General Petraeus's report continues. I 
hope that this September he will be more accurate than he was in 
September 2004. But I am not holding my breath. In fact, I will not 
breathe easily until all of our troops are home safely.

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