[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 122 (Thursday, July 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H7141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SETTING A FIRM TIMETABLE FOR IRAQ REDEPLOYMENT

  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, support is growing, finally, for setting a 
timetable for the responsible redeployment of American troops and 
military contractors from Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki supports a 
timetable. A majority of the Iraqi Parliament supports a timetable. 
Both Houses of Congress have voted for a timetable. There is growing 
evidence that the majority of the Iraqi people support a timetable. And 
the American people certainly support a timetable.
  Even the administration, which has spent more than 5 years turning a 
deaf ear to the American people, can finally hear the steady drumbeat 
of support for a timetable. Last week the administration agreed to what 
it called a general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals in 
Iraq. This kind of statement is actually better than ``stay the 
course,'' which we have heard like a broken record from the White House 
for years. And it represents a victory for those who have been 
demanding a new direction in Iraq.
  But the administration's position still falls far short of what is 
needed. A general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals is far 
too vague. When would the time horizon be reached? Nobody knows.
  What is an aspirational goal? Nobody knows.
  I believe the fuzzy wording is deliberate. It is obvious that the 
administration wanted to say something that sounds like a withdrawal 
but isn't a withdrawal. The loopholes in the administration's position 
are big enough to drive a truck through. I am afraid that a general 
time horizon for meeting aspirational goals may just be another way of 
saying ``permanent occupation.''
  Mr. Speaker, we need clarity in our policy. We need to set a firm 
timetable for redeployment and a firm date for complete redeployment. 
These dates should be set in a way that ensures the safety of our 
troops and guarantees that the redeployment will be orderly and 
responsible. And we need a clear statement that there will be no 
permanent U.S. bases in Iraq.
  A firm timetable for redeployment will accomplish many important 
goals. It will return full sovereignty to the Iraqi people. It will 
give the Iraqis incentives to step up the pace for political 
reconciliation. It will hasten the day that the Iraqis are capable of 
taking full responsibility for their own security. It will take an 
enormous strain off our own military, which has been stretched to the 
breaking point by the occupation of Iraq. It will relieve the strain on 
our overburdened military families. It will help to stabilize the 
Middle East, and help the United States to be a more effective broker 
in peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

                              {time}  2000

  It will allow us to focus on a solution for Afghanistan, a solution 
that can win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. It will allow 
us to take billions of dollars that are being spent on the Iraq 
occupation and use that money instead for domestic needs and to help 
the American people deal with current hard times.
  It will open the door for regional and for international partners to 
come into Iraq and to help with the reconstruction of that shattered 
nation. It will restore America's moral leadership in the world, and it 
will make us a more credible leader in the fight against terrorism. It 
will send a signal to the rest of the world that America is ready to be 
America again. That means a nation which respects the rule of law, that 
has compassion of the people of the world and that prefers peace over 
war.
  Mr. Speaker, the administration's time horizon isn't enough. After 
more than 5 years of occupation, the only thing that should be on the 
horizon is a firm timetable for redeployment. That's what the American 
people and the Iraqi people want.

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