[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 170 (Monday, November 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H12715-H12716]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2030
                              WAR IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H12716]]

  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, Thomas Friedman wrote 
an op ed in the New York Times titled, ``Remember Iraq.''
  In the article, Mr. Friedman laments that in the last couple of 
months ``the air has gone out of the Iraq debate.'' Mr. Friedman, 
unfortunately, seems to be correct. We haven't been talking about Iraq 
as much lately.
  The media is partly to blame for this, but the consumers of the media 
take some responsibility as well. Without new sensational stories to 
run, war coverage becomes monotonous, and we can be desensitized to the 
depictions of war. But it is the media's ethical responsibility to 
focus on the issues that matter the most rather than what sells the 
most papers and boosts ratings.
  When reports of the terrible toll of the Iraq war fall off the front 
page and disappear from nightly TV coverage, it can be easier to put 
the sacrifices our men and women in uniform are making in Iraq out of 
one's mind. It can be easy to forget the suffering of the Iraq people, 
whose lives continue to be plagued by violence. The enormous costs of 
the war don't seem as real when they are not thrust in our faces every 
day.
  But it is also the ethical responsibility of this Congress to 
continue to debate an issue as important as the war. We are partly to 
blame for letting the air out of the Iraq debate as well.
  In the absence of the required number of votes needed to override an 
inevitable Bush veto on any Iraq-related legislation, we in Congress 
must do a better job of challenging the administration's false rhetoric 
about the Iraq war. While the war in Iraq is disappearing from the 
newspapers, problems in Pakistan, Turkey and Iran are sure getting a 
lot of attention.
  Why aren't we making the connection between the problems in these 
countries with the problems we have created in Iraq? An enduring 
foreign military presence will destabilize any region. An enormous 
endless American military presence in the heart of the Middle East is a 
recipe for disaster.
  We in Congress need to do more to educate our constituents of the 
incredible costs of this misguided war in Iraq and the danger it 
presents to the peace and security of the entire region.
  The Middle East is a house of cards, and we are shaking the table. It 
is no accident that since we began our misguided war in Iraq, we have 
seen more problems among Iraq's neighbors. Turkey is a very important 
ally to the United States, and the threat of a Turkish invasion into 
the Kurdish region of Iraq is a real problem for us. The last thing we 
need is another front opening in an already unmanageable war.
  We must also discuss the connection between the President's so-called 
war on terror, with the problems we are watching unfold in Pakistan. We 
must not forget that the al Qaeda forces, who might long ago have been 
defeated if we hadn't been distracted in Iraq, have invaded northern 
Pakistan and hundreds of Pakistani soldiers have been killed. Most 
experts agree that Osama bin Laden is probably hiding in that region in 
northern Pakistan.
  Meanwhile, General Musharraf has imposed a state of emergency through 
Pakistan dissolving the courts and suspending the constitution. 
Thousands of angry lawyers in Lahore and other cities Monday have taken 
to the streets to protest the embattled Pakistani President. Pictures 
in our newspapers of the lawyers being beaten and arrested by the 
police are ominous warnings of further trouble to come.
  This is worrisome when it happens in any country, but down right 
terrifying when it happens in a country that possesses nuclear weapons. 
It is difficult for anyone to say exactly how this connects to our 
failed war in Iraq, but it surely isn't helping.
  The point is that President Bush's irresponsible policy in the Middle 
East has destabilized the entire region. He has created a ticking time 
bomb. Rather than trying to defuse the situation with the diplomatic 
surge, Bush's answer was a military surge and to ratchet up the 
rhetoric against those who dare oppose him.
  We must make it clear every single day that it is because we care so 
strongly about the safety of our country, the wellness of our military 
and the help of those who serve, that we demand an end to the war in 
Iraq. As Mr. Friedman pointed out, when we, as a country, allowed the 
debate over Iraq to fizzle, we are not merely procrastinating and 
delaying the eventual confrontation. We are committing negligence.
  The daily cost of the war is staggering and cannot be ignored. For 
every day the war in Iraq continues, more American lives are lost, more 
Iraqis are killed, more of our tax dollars are spent, and political 
reconciliation in Iraq becomes less and less likely as the vital 
struggle for power continues to rage. Perhaps the most important 
measure of progress, the stability of the region, seems to be slipping 
further and further out of balance.
  Countless proposals have been offered to change the course of this 
President's war in Iraq. There is no shortage of good ideas on how, 
when, and why we need to end the war in Iraq. I am of the opinion that 
we must end the war in Iraq as soon as possible and only provide 
funding to bring our troops home safely and quickly.
  Others in the Democratic Caucus offer different answers but remain 
committed to the ultimate goal of ending the war. We demand a new 
direction. Let's bring our troops home to their families as soon as 
possible and refocus this country's resources on the issues that matter 
the most to the American people. It's time to end the war in Iraq.

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