[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2433]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ORDERLY AND RESPONSIBLE IRAQ REDEPLOYMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 14, 2007

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr Speaker, I believe this legislation is the most 
important bill the House takes up this year because it will bring an 
end to the war in Iraq by bringing our troops home safely, honorably, 
and responsibly.
  The bill mandates the start of an ``immediate and orderly'' 
withdrawal of U.S. armed forces in Iraq within 30 days after enactment. 
It also requires that the reduction of forces be done in conjunction 
with comprehensive diplomatic, political, and economic strategies 
involving Iraq's neighbors.
  The bill provides $50 billion for the cost of redeployment, not the 
$196.4 billion the President has requested to keep the war going.
  H.R. 4156 prohibits the use of torture on any person under U.S. 
custody. This is absolutely necessary because the Administration 
continues to defend this technique which is not sanctioned in the U.S. 
Army Field Manual.
  The war in Iraq has taken a severe toll on our military. One and one-
half million military personnel (or 30 percent of our military) have 
been deployed to Iraq more than once. Many of our soldiers are 
redeployed in less than a year. Our troops are exhausted, their 
equipment is shot and yet the President remains firmly committed to a 
Korea-like presence in Iraq for years. Our military readiness is 
severely threatened and our country is less safe today because of the 
President's ill-conceived and botched-up execution of this war.
  The legislation recognizes our military readiness is at its lowest 
point since the Vietnam war and in order to reverse this, it requires 
that the President certify to Congress 15 days prior to deployment that 
our armed forces are ``fully mission capable.''
  This Administration's sole focus on Iraq has left Afghanistan in an 
extraordinary state of vulnerability. We have seen the reemergence of 
the Taliban, soaring drug production, and the increase of attacks on 
U.S. and NATO forces. By all measures, the country is at risk of 
slipping away. This is a terrible and dangerous mistake. Although time 
is short, there is still an opportunity to defeat our enemies in 
Afghanistan once and for all. The President must acknowledge what's at 
stake and immediately take action to prevent the country from returning 
to what it was--a haven for international terrorism.
  The President's justification for the surge was that ``reducing the 
violence in Baghdad will help make reconciliation possible.'' By all 
accounts, including the August 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, 
NIE, the Iraqi government's political progress is stalled. The NIE 
stated that the ``Iraqi Government will continue to struggle to achieve 
national-level political reconciliation and improved governance.'' The 
NIE goes on to state that ``broadly accepted political compromises 
required for sustained security . . . are unlikely to emerge unless 
there is a fundamental shift in the factors driving Iraqi political 
developments.'' It is clear from this NIE that the Iraqi government has 
done little if anything to initiate political reconciliation.
  The American people are demanding a new direction in Iraq. They do 
not want the President's 10-year war with no end in sight. In fact 68 
percent of Americans oppose the war in Iraq and 60 percent support a 
withdrawal of our troops.
  I strongly support this legislation and urge my colleagues to do so 
as well. We can begin a new and better chapter for America and the 
world by changing the policy in Iraq.

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