[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 10, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         END OCCUPATION OF 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. Madam Speaker, today I rise to deliver my 300th speech 
on the floor of the House, speeches demanding an end to the occupation 
of Iraq.
  I take no pleasure in marking this milestone, except that in this 
great democracy we have it is possible for one Member of the House to 
stand here and express her opinions. But instead of pleasure, it deeply 
saddens me, for it reminds me just how long the Iraq occupation has 
been dragging on.
  America's invasion and occupation of Iraq began 6 years ago this 
month. On March 21, 2003, the previous administration gave us ``Shock 
and Awe.'' There were big explosions on our TV sets, but innocent 
people were being killed that night in Baghdad. And for the next 6 
years, the body count continued to rise as Iraq became a hell on Earth.
  Today conditions on the ground have improved, but the occupation goes 
on. Over 140,000 American troops remain in harm's way. Over 100,000 
military contractors continue to roam the streets of Iraq, 
unaccountable to anyone but themselves. Military families continue to 
suffer here at home and tens of thousands of veterans suffer from 
injuries that will last a lifetime.
  I voted against authorizing the use of force in Iraq, and I was the 
first Member of Congress to introduce a resolution calling for the 
withdrawal of our troops. For 6 years I have made the case that the 
occupation makes no sense.
  On February 2, 2005, I said on the floor of the House ``The sad irony 
is that after our Nation was attacked on 9/11 by al Qaeda, (our) 
response was to bomb and kill civilians in one of the few countries in 
the Middle East that was inhospitable to al Qaeda.''
  I also pointed out that the occupation wasn't making America any 
safer. On March 19, 2007, I said, ``The rate of fatal terror attacks 
worldwide was increased by a factor of seven since the Iraq war 
began.''
  And I noted that the occupation was bleeding our Treasury dry and 
threatening our economy. On October 25, 2007, I said, ``It's incredible 
to me that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who lecture us 
daily about fiscal constraints, (do) not make a peep about the fiscal 
catastrophe'' of Iraq.
  I also raised my voice over and over again to decry the other tragic 
consequences of the occupation, which included the tragic loss of over 
100,000 American and Iraqi lives, the refugee crisis, the torture at 
Abu Ghraib and elsewhere, the shabby treatment of our veterans at 
Walter Reed, the ``Mission Accomplished'' and weapons of mass 
destruction fiascos, the manipulation of intelligence to create a false 
cause for war, the cynical use of the 9/11 tragedy to justify military 
action against Iraq that the Bush administration had been planning all 
along, the scandal of sending our troops into battle without proper 
body armor and the terrible damage to our Nation's moral standing and 
reputation in the world.
  I also spoke about the tremendous bravery and the skill of our troops 
and the amazing courage of the mothers of section 60 at Arlington 
National Cemetery, and I rose time and time again to offer a real 
alternative to the occupation, a smart security plan, a plan that would 
defeat terrorism without the need to wage immoral and unnecessary wars.
  Most recently, I rose to declare that the current plan to leave 
50,000 residual troops after August 2010 in Iraq is unacceptable. I 
believe the best approach now is to withdraw all our troops by August 
2010 and coordinate their removal with reconciliation and 
reconstruction efforts, efforts to promote the unification of the Iraqi 
people.
  Madam Speaker, the occupation of Iraq violates America's core values 
of peace, freedom and human rights. I will continue to raise my voice 
on the floor of the House for these values until we bring all our 
troops home to their families and the peace and sovereignty of Iraq is 
restored.
  I will also continue to raise my voice on this floor for a new and 
better foreign policy based on diplomacy and peaceful international 
cooperation.
  I shall soon deliver speech number 301.

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