[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3609]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ON THIS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY OF WAR, LET US WORK FOR PEACE

  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, in 2 days, we will mark the sixth 
anniversary of America's invasion and occupation of Iraq. When 
President Bush announced the start of the conflict on the night of 
March 20, 2003, he said that America must go to war against a regime 
``that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.'' Of course, 
Mr. Speaker, we know that those weapons did not exist and that the war 
should never have been fought. But today, I don't want to go back, and 
I don't want to revisit all the many mistakes of the past. Instead, I 
want to use this time to remember the literally millions of men, women 
and children from the United States of America, from Iraq and from the 
many other countries whose lives have been shattered over the past 6 
years.
  These include those who died, the wounded, the veterans, the 
refugees, the orphans, the widows and the many other family members who 
are left to mourn and to struggle. We have a great responsibility in 
this House of Representatives to honor and to give meaning to their 
sacrifice. I believe the best way to do that is by committing ourselves 
to work for peace so that war becomes a thing of the past.
  On this sixth anniversary, Mr. Speaker, this anniversary of the 
occupation, we have more reason to hope for peace than on the previous 
five. That is because we have a new leader in the White House, one who 
has already taken some very positive steps. President Obama is 
committed to diplomacy, not war, and the most important tool of 
American foreign policy. He has banned the use of torture. He is 
closing the notorious prison at Guantanamo Bay. And he has announced a 
plan to remove all combat troops from Iraq. But Mr. Speaker, there is 
much more that we need to do.
  The Iraq withdrawal plan will leave 50,000 troops behind to continue 
the occupation. That is unacceptable. All troops and military 
contractors must come home by August 2010, at the latest. In 
Afghanistan, the administration is planning to double down on our 
military involvement. But, Mr. Speaker, there is no military solution 
to the situation in Afghanistan. That is why I have joined my 
colleagues, Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters, in asking the President to 
establish a timeline for the redeployment of our troops out of 
Afghanistan. We have also called for a plan to assist the Afghan 
people, because we cannot defeat the Taliban with bombs and bullets. We 
can only defeat the Taliban by helping the Afghan people to meet their 
desperate needs for schools, for roads and for economic development.
  But we need to do more than just solve problems as they arise. We 
need to be proactive. We need to have a comprehensive strategy for 
keeping the peace. Let me suggest two ways to achieve that goal. First, 
I believe this is a good time to renew Congressman Kucinich's calls for 
the establishment of a Cabinet-level Department of Peace so we can work 
full-time to analyze international problems and advise the President on 
strategies to prevent war and to peacefully resolve conflicts around 
the world. The President of the United States has never had the 
advantage of such advice. I believe it is high time that he did.
  Second, I believe that this is a good time to renew our proposal for 
a smart national security plan. ``Smart'' is based on a simple idea: 
War is an outdated concept. That is why my smart plan keeps Americans 
safe through strong global alliances and better intelligence, as 
opposed to pre-emptive military strikes. Smart also calls for the 
United States to support nuclear nonproliferation, and it includes an 
ambitious humanitarian development agenda to end the hopelessness and 
oppression that lead to war and terrorism in the first place.
  Mr. Speaker, after these many years of violence, one thing is clear. 
The American people have had enough war. They are seeking a better way 
to make the world safe for their children and grandchildren. So let us 
resolve in the honor of those who suffer because of a mistaken 
occupation 6 years ago to do everything we can to avoid the mistakes of 
the past and lay the foundation for a peaceful future.
  That is the best way to honor those who were caught up in the chaos 
of Iraq. And it is the best way to turn the tragedy of this sixth 
anniversary into a time of hope for the people of the world.

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