[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 193 (Monday, December 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15767-S15768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              IRAQ FUNDING

  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, there has been a great deal of debate in 
recent weeks about whether to fund the needs of our soldiers overseas. 
The time to act has come.
  We are nearing the end of the first quarter of the fiscal year, and 
despite steady progress in Iraq, Congress still has not passed a 
funding bill for our soldiers. Members of this body have been aware of 
the consequences of delaying funding for a long time.
  In a November 8 letter, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England 
explained that failure to fund military operations will ``result in 
having to shut down significant portions of the Defense Department by 
early next year.'' The specific consequences, in Secretary England's 
words, include ``closure of military facilities, furloughing of 
civilian workers and deferral of contract activity.'' In case there is 
any confusion about what this means to the military, Secretary England 
is quite clear: ``this situation will result in a profoundly negative 
impact on the defense civilian workforce, depot maintenance, base 
operations, and training activities.''
  He also acknowledged that this delay in funding doesn't only harm our 
military but also sets back the training and equipping of Iraqi and 
Afghan security forces, whose expeditious development is critical to 
lasting peace in those nations.
  This delay in funding shows a lack of support for our troops in 
harm's way, disregard for the measurable progress they have achieved in 
recent months, and indifference to the future of Iraq and Afghanistan. 
That is not the kind of leadership the American people expect of 
Congress.
  It is time to heed the clear warnings from the Department of Defense, 
come together in support of the progress our soldiers are making, and 
provide them with the necessary resources so that they can continue 
their important work on behalf of the American people.
  A December 8 article in the Washington Post by LT Pete Hegseth and 
GEN John Batista, a prominent critic of the Administration's policy in 
Iraq, encouraged Americans ``to stand together, in and out of 
uniform,'' and commit to defeating our enemies. That means supporting 
the progress our soldiers are achieving and providing them the funds 
necessary to complete their mission and, thus, make Americans safer.
  I ask unanimous consent to have the attached article printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                  [From the Washington Post, 8, 2007]

       Congress has been entangled in a war-funding debate that 
     pits war ``supporters'' against antiwar ``defeatists.'' With 
     all sides seemingly entrenched, a stalemate looms. The 
     Pentagon, meanwhile, will soon begin stripping money from its 
     training budget to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
       Our military men and women deserve better than partisan 
     politics; they deserve honest assessments of our nation's 
     performance in fighting the Long War.
       We are veterans of the Iraq war with vastly different 
     experiences. Both of us commanded troops in Iraq. We, too, 
     held seemingly entrenched, and incompatible, views upon our 
     return. One of us spoke out against mismanagement of the 
     war--failed leadership, lack of strategy and misdirection. 
     The other championed the cause of successfully completing our 
     mission.
       Our perspectives were different, yet not as stark as the 
     ``outspoken general'' and ``stay-the-course supporter'' 
     labels we received. Such labels are oversimplified and 
     inaccurate, and we are united behind a greater purpose.
       It's time to discuss the way forward rather than prosecute 
     the past. Congress must do the same, for our nation and the 
     troops.
       Overall, this will require learning from our strategic 
     blunders, acknowledging successes achieved by our courageous 
     military and forging a bold path. We believe America can and 
     must rally around five fundamental tenets:
       First, the United States must be successful in the fight 
     against worldwide Islamic extremism.
       We have seen this ruthless enemy firsthand, and its global 
     ambitions are undeniable. This struggle, the Long War, will 
     probably take decades to prosecute. Failure is not an option.
       Second, whether or not we like it, Iraq is central to that 
     fight. We cannot walk away from our strategic interests in 
     the region. Iraq cannot become a staging ground for Islamic 
     extremism or be dominated by other powers in the region, such 
     as Iran and Syria. A premature or precipitous withdrawal from

[[Page S15768]]

     Iraq, without the requisite stability and security, is likely 
     to cause the violence there--which has decreased 
     substantially but is still present--to cascade into an even 
     larger humanitarian crisis.
       Third, the counterinsurgency campaign led by Gen. David 
     Petraeus is the correct approach in Iraq. It is showing 
     promise of success and, if continued, will provide the Iraqi 
     government the opportunities it desperately needs to 
     stabilize its country. Ultimately, however, these military 
     gains must be cemented with regional and global diplomacy, 
     political reconciliation, and economic recovery--tools yet 
     sufficiently utilized. Today's tactical gains in Iraq--while 
     a necessary pre-condition for political reconciliation--will 
     crumble without a deliberate and comprehensive strategy.
       Fourth, our strategy in fighting the Long War must address 
     Iran. Much has been made this week of the intelligence 
     judgments that Iran has stopped its weapons program. No 
     matter what, Iran must not be permitted to become a nuclear 
     power. All options should be exhausted before we use military 
     force, but force, nonetheless, should never be off the table. 
     Diplomatic efforts--from a position of strength, both 
     regionally and globally--must be used to engage our friends 
     and coerce our enemies to apply pressure on the Iranian 
     regime.
       Fifth, our military capabilities need to match our national 
     strategy. Our military is stretched thin and will be hard-
     pressed to maintain its current cycle of deployments. At this 
     critical juncture, we cannot afford to be weak. Numbers and 
     capacity matter.
       After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, America was not 
     mobilized for the Long War. This was an opportunity lost, but 
     it is not too late. Many Americans are frustrated by the war 
     effort, the burden of which has been shouldered by less than 
     one percent of our citizenry. Our country is accustomed to 
     winning. We deserve a comprehensive strategy that is focused 
     on victory and guided by decisive leadership. America must 
     succeed in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we also cannot focus too 
     narrowly on those conflicts. We need a regional and global 
     strategy to defeat worldwide Islamic extremism to ensure a 
     safer world today and for future generations.
       The day after his famous Pearl Harbor speech, President 
     Franklin D. Roosevelt again addressed the nation. ``I was 
     about to add that ahead there lies sacrifice for all of us,'' 
     he said. ``But it is not correct to use that word. The United 
     States does not consider it a sacrifice to do all one can, to 
     give one's best to our nation, when the nation is fighting 
     for its existence and its future life.'' His words inspired 
     the ``Greatest Generation,'' and they should inspire us again 
     today.
       Americans must mobilize for the Long War--bolster our 
     strained military, galvanize industry to supply troops with 
     what they need right now and fund the strategy with long-term 
     solutions. We have no doubt that Americans will rally behind 
     a call to arms.
       America's veterans--young and old--are resolved to support 
     and defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and 
     domestic. This commitment, and nothing less, should compel us 
     to stand together, in and out of uniform. Would that Congress 
     finds the courage to bury its pride and do the same.

                          ____________________