[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 160 (Monday, October 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H11823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HOLDING THE ADMINISTRATION RESPONSIBLE FOR THE U.S. LEGACY 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. Mr. Speaker, it is past time to hold this administration 
accountable for its actions in Iraq and for its actions throughout the 
region.
  Our standing in the world and throughout the Middle East is at an 
all-time low. And our standing in popularity has just about 
disappeared. The administration's policies have only brought 
instability and conflict. The strategy of preemptive war has, and we 
have seen it, been met with disbelief. It has been met with criticism 
from all corners of the world.
  The administration keeps beating the drum of war with Iran, and its 
inaction in northern Iraq may lead to armed conflict with Turkey. A 
real leader, an effective Commander in Chief, knows that the use of 
force should be the very last possible option, not the first. The blame 
for this sits squarely in the Oval Office.
  And what about the people the administration was supposed to be 
liberating? Many live now without the basic services they had for 
generations: electricity, clean water, basic health care, education. 
And at least 4 million Iraqis have fled their homes. Many are displaced 
within their own country, and millions more have escaped to neighboring 
Iran and Syria. Despite what the administration has claimed, the fault 
does not lie on the Iraqi people or the international community. Once 
again the blame belongs one place and one place only: that's with our 
administration.
  Let's look at our international human rights record, Mr. Speaker. 
From Guantanamo to Abu Ghraib, a scandal, to the mercenary Blackwater 
security forces, the face of American policy emerges as goons, thugs, 
and cowboys.
  Or what about torture? The administration says it doesn't promote 
torture. Yet day in and day out we read news media reports of an 
administration promoting rendition and ``enhanced interrogation 
methods.'' These methods allow for everything short of death. The 
responsibility lies at the feet of one man. Not a general. Not the 
Justice Department. Not the men and women of the intelligence 
community. And certainly not the brave men and women who are serving us 
in Iraq. One man.
  And it does not get much better here, right here at home, where the 
administration is pushing for more ways to spy on American citizens. 
They are attacking their political adversaries by questioning their 
patriotism. They even outed a covert CIA operative. The President at 
that time said that anyone caught for such an action would be removed 
from his staff. Now it turns out that Karl Rove, Richard Armitage, 
Scooter Libby, and Ari Fleischer didn't count and the administration 
chose to put them above the law.
  Once again, Mr. Speaker, we have to ask ourselves who's really to 
blame. I can only think of one person.
  And, finally, most shameful of all, the legacy of this occupation of 
Iraq has left a generation of men and women with physical and mental 
wounds that may never heal. And how did the administration thank them 
for their bravery on behalf of our Nation? Walter Reed. Long waits for 
necessary medical treatment at local VA hospitals. And in some cases, 
extended deployments. What kind of Commander in Chief would do that?
  Remember the good old days when past Presidents said, and meant it, 
that ``the buck stops here,'' the buck stops with them? This 
administration seems to think the buck stops everywhere but 1600 
Pennsylvania Avenue.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for the President to take the responsibility 
for his actions and turn the tide around, and he can do that by 
providing our men and women in uniform the equipment they need to come 
home safely; by funding the safe, responsible, and timely withdrawal of 
our troops; and by regaining, in turn, our place as a world leader 
promoting peace and stability.
  Mr. Speaker, hold this administration accountable. Bring our troops 
home. End this senseless occupation.

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