[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H3861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NORMALCY IS NOT RETURNING TO 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, the American people have begun to receive 
their recovery rebate checks. Families will use this assistance to deal 
with the rising cost of food, of gas, and for just hard times in 
general. So Congress did the right thing when we wrote those checks. 
But if we want to give our economy another boost, there is one check 
that we should not write, and that's the check we will soon be asked to 
write for the continued occupation of Iraq.
  This occupation has already cost taxpayers over $1 trillion in direct 
and indirect costs. And Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, 
has calculated that the cost could soar, could, probably will soar to 
$3 trillion or more. Think what that money could do for our economy if 
we invested it wisely in job training, education, health care, child 
care, green technology, and so many other critically important domestic 
needs.
  Some believe that the occupation of Iraq is more important than all 
of these other needs combined. They believe that the billions of 
dollars we're spending in Iraq are making things better. The President 
actually told us recently that normalcy is returning back to Iraq. But 
Iraq cannot be returning to normalcy when the fighting and dying 
continues without any letup.
  Over 3,000 Iraqi civilians and 170 of our brave troops have been 
killed so far this year: 3,000; 170. Over 1,100 of our troops have been 
wounded. Mr. Speaker, does that sound like normalcy to anyone? It 
doesn't to me. I can't say it, actually.
  Iraq cannot be returning to normalcy when over 5 million of its 
citizens remain refugees. That number equals more than 20 percent of 
the entire Iraqi population at the beginning of our invasion in the 
year 2003.
  Iraq cannot be returning to normalcy when tens of thousands of armed 
military contractors roam its streets terrifying the people and 
accountable to no one.
  Iraq can't be returning to normalcy when we're planning for a 50-year 
foreign occupation, and some voices, in fact, are even calling for a 
100-year occupation.
  And Iraq cannot be returning to normalcy when fear and destruction 
continue to grip its people. The International Herald Tribune described 
the Iraqi people's nightmare in an article published on April 23. It 
said, ``A simple decision to run an errand or choose an alternate route 
to work takes on life-altering consequences as the car bombs, stray 
bullets, rockets, and mortars claim those who merely happen by.''
  So, Mr. Speaker, as the war carries into its 6th year, nearly every 
family is touched by the death of a member of a close friend.
  Iraq can only become normal again when it gets its sovereignty back. 
It can only become normal when it has the chance to rebuild and heal in 
peace, and that can only happen when we responsibly redeploy our troops 
and then lead a regional and international effort to bring social, 
economic, and political reconciliation to that devastated country.
  So when we review supplemental funding like we will tomorrow, let's 
insist on a bill that fully funds the safe withdrawal of our troops but 
does not include one more cent for an occupation that isn't making us 
or the Iraqi people any safer.
  Mr. Speaker, recovery rebate checks are great, but blank checks for 
the occupation of Iraq must stop.

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