[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6998-H7000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN STUDY GROUP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share with my colleagues the 
text of a letter I sent today to President Obama, Secretary Gates, 
Admiral Mullen, and all other parties in the administration charged 
with executing the war effort. I will enclose in my correspondence to 
the administration a copy of a letter from a constituent who is a 
mother of six children, all of whom are currently serving or have 
served in the U.S. military.
  I submit for the Record a copy of my original letter to the President 
as well as a copy of the letter from my constituent.
  My letter today to the administration will read, in part, ``I implore 
you to consider my constituent's views--the views of an `American 
mother with children glad to serve our country,' and to move swiftly to 
establish an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group, modeled after the Iraq 
Study Group, to bring `fresh eyes' to the war effort in Afghanistan.
  ``The group would be comprised of nationally known and respected 
individuals who love their country more than their political party and 
would serve to provide much-needed clarity to a policy that 
increasingly appears adrift.
  ``Candidly, after reading yesterday's Washington Post piece adapted 
from Bob Woodward's Obama's Wars, I have serious concerns that the 
needed clarity about our aim in Afghanistan ever existed within the 
administration. Woodward writes, `Even at the end of the process, the 
President's team wrestled with the most basic questions about the war, 
then entering its ninth year: What is the mission? What are we trying 
to do? What will work?'
  ``These are sobering questions--but they are questions that must be 
answered, and the Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group is just the means to 
arrive at these answers in a way that honors our men and women in 
uniform.
  ``In the halls of Congress or the White House, at Foggy Bottom or the 
Pentagon, public discussions can at times be detached from the actual 
lives that are most directly impacted by the decisions being made. This 
couldn't be further from the case for this mother. She doesn't have 
that luxury when it comes to the war in Afghanistan. And we mustn't 
either.
  ``This is not a matter of politics--or at least it ought not be--for 
it is always in our national interest to openly assess the challenges 
before us and to chart a clear course to victory. Frankly, I've been 
deeply troubled by Woodward's reporting which indicates that 
discussions of the war strategy were infused with political 
calculations. An Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group could help redeem 
what was clearly a deeply flawed process.''
  I close with a line from my constituent. She said, ``The casualties 
suffered aren't just numbers to me. Each name, each face, represents a 
family who is paying the ultimate price--the loss of a son or a 
daughter, brother or sister, father or mother; a family that will never 
be the same. Therefore, I wholeheartedly support the formation of an 
Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group in the hope that it will help to turn 
the tide of this war and lessen the number of casualties as well.''
  I hope the President and his advisers will heed the eloquent words of 
this military mother who has six children serving and another child is 
married to a marine. And many have served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                                   August 4, 2010.
     Hon. Barack H. Obama,
     The President,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr, President: On September 14, 2001, following the 
     catastrophic and deliberate terrorist attack on our country, 
     I voted to go to war in Afghanistan. I stand by

[[Page H6999]]

     that decision and have the utmost confidence in General 
     Petraeus's proven leadership. I also remain unequivocally 
     committed to the success of our mission there and to the more 
     than 100,000 American troops sacrificing toward that end. In 
     fact, it is this commitment which has led me to write to you. 
     While I have been a consistent supporter of the war effort in 
     both Afghanistan and Iraq, I believe that with this support 
     comes a responsibility. This was true during a Republican 
     administration in the midst of the wars, and it remains true 
     today.
       In 2005, I returned from my third trip to Iraq where I saw 
     firsthand the deteriorating security situation. I was deeply 
     concerned that Congress was failing to exercise the necessary 
     oversight of the war effort. Against this backdrop I authored 
     the legislation that created the Iraq Study Group (ISG). The 
     ISG was a 10-member bipartisan group of well-respected, 
     nationally known figures who were brought together with the 
     help of four reputable organizations--the U.S. Institute for 
     Peace, the Center for the Study of the Presidency, the Center 
     for Strategic and International Studies, and the Baker 
     Institute for Public Policy at Rice University--and charged 
     with undertaking a comprehensive review of U.S. efforts 
     there. This panel was intended to serve as ``fresh eyes on 
     the target''--the target being success in Iraq.
       While reticent at first, to their credit President Bush, 
     State Secretary Rice and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld came to 
     support the ISG, ably led by bipartisan co-chairs, former 
     Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee 
     Hamilton. Two members of your national security team, 
     Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and CIA Director Leon 
     Panetta, saw the merit of the ISG and, in fact, served on the 
     panel. Vice President Biden, too, then serving in the Senate, 
     was supportive and saw it as a means to unite the Congress at 
     a critical time. A number of the ISG's recommendations and 
     ideas were adopted. Retired General Jack Keane, senior 
     military adviser to the ISG, was a lead proponent of ``the 
     surge,'' and the ISG referenced the possibility on page 73. 
     Aside from the specific policy recommendations of the panel, 
     the ISG helped force a moment of truth in our national 
     conversation about the war effort.
       I believe our nation is again facing such a moment in the 
     Afghanistan war effort, and that a similar model is needed. 
     In recent days I have spoken with a number of knowledgeable 
     individuals including former senior diplomats, public policy 
     experts and retired and active military. Many believe our 
     Afghanistan policy is adrift, and all agreed that there is an 
     urgent need for what I call an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study 
     Group (APSG). We must examine our efforts in the region 
     holistically, given Pakistan's strategic significance to our 
     efforts in Afghanistan and the Taliban's presence in that 
     country as well, especially in the border areas.
       This likely will not come as a surprise to you as commander 
     in chief. You are well acquainted with the sobering 
     statistics of the past several weeks--notably that July 
     surpassed June as the deadliest month for U.S. troops. There 
     is a palpable shift in the nation's mood and in the halls of 
     Congress. A July 2010 CBS news poll found that 62 percent of 
     Americans say the war is going badly in Afghanistan, up from 
     49 percent in May. Further, last week, 102 Democrats voted 
     against the war spending bill, which is 70 more than last 
     year; and they were joined by 12 members of my own party. 
     Senator Lindsay Graham, speaking last Sunday on CNN's ``State 
     of the Union,'' candidly expressed concern about an ``unholy 
     alliance'' emerging of anti-war Democrats and Republicans.
       I have heard it said that Vietnam was not lost in Saigon; 
     rather, it was lost in Washington. While the Vietnam and 
     Afghanistan parallels are imperfect at best, the shadow of 
     history looms large. Eroding political will has 
     consequences--and in the case of Afghanistan, the stakes 
     could not be higher. A year ago, speaking before the Veterans 
     of Foreign War National Convention, you rightly said, ``Those 
     who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If 
     left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even 
     larger safe haven from which al Qaeda would plot to kill more 
     Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting . . . 
     this is fundamental to the defense of our people.'' Indeed it 
     is fundamental. We must soberly consider the implications of 
     failure in Afghanistan. Those that we know for certain are 
     chilling--namely an emboldened al-Qaeda, a reconstituted 
     Taliban with an open staging ground for future worldwide 
     attacks, and a destabilized, nuclear-armed Pakistan.
       Given these realities and wavering public and political 
     support, I urge you to act immediately, through executive 
     order, to convene an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group modeled 
     after the Iraq Study Group. The participation of nationally 
     known and respected individuals is of paramount importance. 
     Among the names that surfaced in my discussions with others, 
     all of whom more than meet the criteria described above, are 
     ISG co-chairs Baker and Hamilton; former Senators Chuck Robb, 
     Bob Kerrey and Sam Nunn; former Congressman Duncan Hunter; 
     former U.S. ambassador Ryan. Crocker; former Secretary of 
     Defense James Schlesinger, and General Keane. These names are 
     simply suggestions among a cadre of capable men and women, as 
     evidenced by the make-up of the ISG, who would be more than 
     up to the task.
       I firmly believe that an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group 
     could reinvigorate national confidence in how America can be 
     successful and move toward a shared mission in Afghanistan. 
     This is a crucial task. On the Sunday morning news shows this 
     past weekend, it was unsettling to hear conflicting 
     statements from within the leadership of the administration 
     that revealed a lack of clarity about the end game in 
     Afghanistan. How much more so is this true for the rest of 
     the country? An APSG is necessary for precisely that reason. 
     We are nine years into our nation's longest running war and 
     the American people and their elected representatives do not 
     have a clear sense of what we are aiming to achieve, why it 
     is necessary and how far we are from attaining that goal. 
     Further, an APSG could strengthen many of our NATO allies in 
     Afghanistan who are also facing dwindling public support, as 
     evidenced by the recent Dutch troop withdrawal, and would 
     give them a tangible vision to which to commit.
       Just as was true at the time of the Iraq Study Group, I 
     believe that Americans of all political viewpoints, liberals 
     and conservatives alike, and varied opinions on the war will 
     embrace this ``fresh eyes'' approach. Like the previous 
     administration's support of the Iraq Study Group, which 
     involved taking the group's members to Iraq and providing 
     high-level access to policy and decision makers, I urge you 
     to embrace an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group. It is always 
     in our national interest to openly assess the challenges 
     before us and to chart a clear course to success.
       As you know, the full Congress comes back in session in 
     mid-September--days after Americans around the country will 
     once again pause and remember that horrific morning nine 
     years ago when passenger airlines became weapons, when the 
     skyline of one of America's greatest cities was forever 
     changed, when a symbol of America's military might was left 
     with a gaping hole. The experts with whom I have spoken in 
     recent days believe that time is of the essence in moving 
     forward with a study panel, and waiting for Congress to 
     reconvene is too long to wait. As such, I am hopeful you will 
     use an executive order and the power of the bully pulpit to 
     convene this group in short order, and explain to the 
     American people why it is both necessary and timely. Should 
     you choose not to take this path, respectfully, I intend to 
     offer an amendment by whatever vehicle necessary to mandate 
     the group's creation at the earliest possible opportunity.
       The ISG's report opened with a letter from the co-chairs 
     that read, ``There is no magic. formula to solve the problems 
     of Iraq. However, there are actions that can be taken to 
     improve the situation and protect American interests.'' The 
     same can be said of Afghanistan.
       I understand that you are a great admirer of Abraham 
     Lincoln. He, too, governed during a time of war, albeit a war 
     that pitted brother against brother, and father against son. 
     In the midst of that epic struggle, he relied on a cabinet 
     with strong, often times opposing viewpoints. Historians 
     assert this served to develop his thinking on complex 
     matters. Similarly, while total agreement may not emerge from 
     a study group for Afghanistan and Pakistan, I believe that 
     vigorous, thoughtful and principled debate and discussion 
     among some of our nation's greatest minds on these matters 
     will only serve the national interest. The biblical 
     admonition that iron sharpens iron rings true.
       Best wishes.
     P.S. We as a nation must be successful in Afghanistan. We owe 
     this to our men and women in the military serving in harm's 
     way and to the American people.
                                  ____

       Dear Congressman Wolf: I have read your proposal for the 
     formation of an Afghanistan/Pakistan Study Group with deep 
     personal interest and approbation. I applaud its respectful, 
     well-reasoned, bipartisan approach to rethinking the war in 
     Afghanistan. The following are my personal thoughts regarding 
     this war. Please accept them as the insights of an average 
     American mother.
       It has been troubling to me how distant this war is for so 
     many Americans. Many are only vaguely aware of the events 
     taking place, other than perhaps the recent increase in the 
     number of casualties. Even gathering information of what is 
     daily happening in Afghanistan hasn't been easy. I comb the 
     internet daily searching many different online news sources 
     in an attempt to be informed. Our country is at war and yet 
     so often the top news items contain nothing regarding it. 
     Often it is the local papers in towns with soldiers, sailors 
     and marines serving in Afghanistan that contain the most 
     news. Other times it is the news stations with an embedded 
     reporter who will have a flurry of articles while the 
     reporter is there but then nothing once they return.
       The War on Terror is not just impersonal news but it is a 
     war that strikes very close to home. My father has a dear 
     friend whose son-in-law died in the Twin Towers. I have a 
     friend who lost a son in Iraq during the battle for Fallujah. 
     A student of mine lost her fiancee in the war. My children 
     and son-in-law have served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and 
     have buddies injured or killed in action.
       One of my daughters is currently serving in Afghanistan in 
     a Combat Support Hospital. She arrived in time to experience 
     first hand the peak number of casualties in June and July. In 
     a recent news interview her Commanding Officer said they are 
     seeing an almost constant stream of casualties; something 
     that none of them were prepared for, but will remember the 
     horrors of the rest of their lives.

[[Page H7000]]

       It has sometimes appeared that the efforts in Afghanistan 
     have trudged along, with success measured in part by the 
     areas in which we have gained some measure of control versus 
     the price paid in human lives both civilian and military. The 
     casualties suffered aren't just numbers to me; each name, 
     each face, represents a family who is paying the ultimate 
     price, the loss of a son or daughter, brother or sister, 
     father or mother; a family that will never be the same. 
     Therefore, I wholeheartedly support the formation of an 
     Afghanistan/Pakistan Study Group in the hope that it will 
     help to turn the tide of this war and lessen the number of 
     casualties as well.
       I, too, have a deep respect and confidence in Gen. Petraeus 
     and would not want my comments to be construed as being 
     critical of the leadership of our military. I have no formal 
     training in political science or history so please accept 
     these comments as simply the perspective of an American 
     mother with children glad to serve our country.
       God bless you and give you wisdom as you serve in the 
     leadership of our country.
           Sincerely,
                                                            ------
     P.S. It meant so much to see my sons receive a standing 
     ovation when introduced during last week's luncheon. It is 
     these very Lance Corporals, Corporals and Sergeants who are 
     almost daily listed among the casualties. My son, ------ 
     remarked that listening to your speech ``restored his faith 
     in the republic.'' Thank you again for recognizing their 
     service.

                          ____________________