[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H4554-H4555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICA'S RE-ENGAGEMENT

  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, I rise to praise President Obama on his 
recent meetings with foreign leaders. He changed both the tone and the 
substance of American foreign policy, and I believe he did a great deal 
to restore America's reputation throughout the world.

[[Page H4555]]

  I do not agree with every single detail of his foreign policy 
decisions, but I certainly applaud his commitment to diplomacy and 
cooperation as the best way to prevent war, solve international 
problems and get a dialogue started.
  During the G-20 summit in Europe, the President worked hard to 
restore good relations with our allies, which were stretched to the 
breaking point by the previous administration's arrogance. He said that 
America will listen to the concerns of our European friends, and he 
promised to rebuild our partnership with them.
  While he was in London, the President also pledged to work with 
Russia to reduce both nations' nuclear arsenals, and he announced a new 
effort to rid the world of nuclear weapons once and for all. And he 
called for U.S. ratification of the comprehensive nuclear test-ban 
treaty, which I have been asking for for many, many years.
  On his trip to Turkey, Mr. Speaker, the President also reached out to 
the Muslim world. He said that the U.S. is not and never will be at war 
with Islam. Those were very welcome words, while he also promised to 
seek broader engagement with the Muslim world based on mutual interest 
and mutual respect.
  Along these lines, Mr. Speaker, the administration recently stepped 
up its effort to engage Iran in talks. They agreed to participate in 
talks with Iran and other global powers about Iran's nuclear program.
  When the President attended the Summit of the Americas a little bit 
later, he pledged to work closely with the nations of the hemisphere on 
climate change and economic development and to cooperate with Mexico to 
end the violence on our border.
  Most important, however, Mr. Speaker, President Obama called for a 
new beginning in our relations with Cuba. After a delegation of Members 
of Congress visited Cuba during the Easter work period, President Obama 
lifted some of the restrictions that Americans face when they want to 
travel to Cuba and/or send money to relatives there.
  So far the response of the Cuban Government has been very positive. I 
hope this is a beginning to the end of the 50-year cold war between the 
United States and Cuba, but I know we have a lot of work to do. These 
problems probably won't be solved overnight, but we are on the way.
  I also have some concerns, concerns with our very own administration 
about some of their policies. For example, the administration is 
planning to prolong our occupation of Iraq until at least the end of 
2011, and it appears that they could be expanding our military presence 
in Afghanistan indefinitely.
  The lessons of the past 7 years, Mr. Speaker, have made it clear that 
a military option won't work in either Iraq or Afghanistan. We must, 
instead, fundamentally change our mission in both countries to focus on 
reconciliation, economic development, humanitarian aid and regional 
diplomacy.
  I am, however, encouraged, Mr. Speaker, by the administration's 
desire to chart a new and better course for America's place in the 
world.
  President Obama is willing to listen, build partnerships and show 
respect for other cultures. That's a big step forward for making the 
world a more peaceful place for ourselves and our children.

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