[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 194 (Friday, December 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                END OF U.S. MILITARY OPERATIONS IN IRAQ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington-

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2011

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked the official end of 
United States military operations in Iraq. President Obama has 
fulfilled his promise to bring all of our troops home by December and, 
for that, I commend him.
  I objected to the invasion of Iraq at the outset, and I have 
vigorously opposed it since. As we withdraw from Iraq after nearly nine 
years of war, there is no sense of ``mission accomplished'' because the 
mission was incomprehensible. We invaded the country under false 
pretenses and deliberate misrepresentations: no credible evidence 
pointed to the existence of weapons of mass destruction and, not 
surprisingly, none were found.
  It is my hope that history books accurately will record the sorry 
consequences of invading a sovereign nation on the basis of adulterated 
evidence. That is what we did in 2003, and our country has paid, and 
will continue to pay, dearly for its foolish rush to war. Today, Iraq's 
economy is in shambles, its coalition government is fragile, anti-
Americanism runs high, and violence abounds.
  Since we launched this war, nearly 4,500 American soldiers have lost 
their lives and tens of thousands have sustained lifelong injuries. 
Their sacrifice must be honored and remembered. One way to do so is by 
not repeating the grievous mistakes that led us into Iraq. My fear is 
that those who sought this war again are urging conflict--this time 
with Iran. George Santayana warned that ``Those who cannot remember the 
past are condemned to repeat it.'' Let us reflect at length on the 
punishing costs of war and its unforgiving legacy.

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