[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2448-E2449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ORDERLY AND RESPONSIBLE IRAQ REDEPLOYMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 14, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I will vote for this legislation.
  This bill is the opposite of a blank check for the President. The 
funds it will provide are those that will be needed to move toward an 
``immediate and orderly'' redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq.
  The bill requires redeployment to begin within 30 days of its passage 
and sets a goal of bringing home most our soldiers from Iraq by 
December 15, 2008.
  The bill also requires that our military's mission in Iraq shift from 
combat to force protection, support for Iraqi security forces, and 
targeted counterterrorism operations, and it prohibits the deployment 
of any U.S. troops to Iraq that are not already fully equipped and 
trained. And it extends to all U.S. Government agencies and personnel 
the limitations in the Army Field Manual on permissible interrogation 
techniques, to remove any doubt that loopholes remain for 
``waterboarding'' or similar harsh techniques.
  It's clear that we're seeing progress on the security front in Iraq--
likely the result of more U.S. boots on the ground combined with an 
insurgency that has largely succeeded in ``cleansing'' Iraq's 
neighborhoods, driving Iraq's Sunni and Shia populations out of areas 
where they once lived side by side.
  But when he announced the ``surge'' of additional troops to Iraq, 
President Bush promised us more than progress on the security front in 
Iraq.
  We sent more troops to Iraq to provide ``breathing space'' for the 
Iraqi Government to

[[Page E2449]]

move toward political reconciliation, and that hasn't even begun to 
happen.
  In my view, there is no sustainable role for large numbers of U.S. 
troops to play in Iraq--whether refereeing a civil war or waiting for 
the Iraqi Government to decide to act within the ``breathing space'' 
our brave troops have provided and our taxpayers are paying for at $9 
billion per month.
  However, while this bill sends the right message--that our troops 
cannot remain in Iraq indefinitely--regrettably, it does not send it in 
the best way, because it will be supported almost exclusively by 
Democrats, and the President has already promised to veto it.
  What we need is consensus here at home on a path forward in Iraq, and 
today's quick consideration of this bill doesn't bring us any closer to 
that goal.
  I believe consensus can be found around the recommendations of the 
Iraq Study Group, which I introduced as legislation earlier this year, 
including supporting a course of escalating escalate economic 
development, empowerment of local government, the provision of basic 
services, a ``surge'' in regional and international diplomatic efforts, 
and lightening the American footprint in Iraq.
  Only Democrats and Republicans working together can find the path out 
of Iraq. I will continue to work with colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle on further steps we can take to change our broader Iraq policy.

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