[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 18777-18778]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            PROGRESS IN IRAQ

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I want to comment on an opportunity I had 
on Saturday to meet with Ambassador Bremer shortly after his arrival 
from Iraq. And we met, for a short period of time, with Senator Warner 
and Representatives Lewis and Murtha to talk a little bit about what is 
going on on the ground in Iraq, specifically with coalition provisional 
authority, what their role is, how much progress is being made in 
rebuilding Iraq.
  It is so difficult for all of us, in our briefings, where we are 
getting information secondhand, thirdhand--we are watching the news on 
television and reading it in the papers, and you get slivers of 
information--it is very tough to put in perspective what is actually 
going on in this vast country, where we know we are rebuilding not just 
from the war several weeks ago but from 10 years of neglect--indeed, 30 
years of neglect. It is hard to assess, in terms of health care and 
water and schools and roads, where we are. You really see very little 
in terms of progress being made based on the information that filters 
through to us.
  That is really why, as a prelude to some of the things we will hear 
tomorrow, Ambassador Bremer is going to come and visit with us in the 
Senate, where we will have a discussion. He is briefing the 
administration today, and he had several very public addresses on 
Sunday. But what he has to say is astonishing in lots of different 
ways, but mostly I think because of the relative silence in the press 
about the conditions on the ground in terms of progress, in terms of 
improvement.
  After talking to Ambassador Bremer, it is clear to me that we are 
making real progress, demonstrable progress, day to day, week to week, 
in Iraq. Just as one example, I very specifically asked about food and 
asked about health care. Today, based on all objective measures, and as 
reinforced by Ambassador Bremer, there is no food crisis in Iraq. 
Indeed, there is no health care crisis in Iraq right now, today. The 
provision of basic utilities is improving daily, as is the overall 
public health situation. Indeed, I believe the Ambassador said that 
next week there will be a second immunization day nationwide scheduled.
  When I asked about basic health care services, the Ambassador replied 
that they have been restored to about 90 percent in the north and 80 
percent in the south and about 75 percent in the mid region around 
Baghdad.
  When I asked about specific hospitals, I was told that over 200 
hospitals--I don't know the exact number; there are over 200 hospitals 
in Iraq--all of those hospitals are now operational, in service.
  Much of Iraq is near the prewar service conditions for water. When I 
speak of water conditions, I include sewage and the like. But what is 
interesting, and what we have to constantly remind ourselves, is that 
the country has been in a state of deterioration over the last 15 
years, with no money invested in clean water, servicing that water, 
getting water to the people, and sewage plants. So even prewar 
conditions were very poor. But then we had the impact of the war. We 
have some sabotage going on right now. But now we are just about up to 
the prewar service conditions. We still have a long way to go to get 
back to the sort of conditions we would say are acceptable.
  In terms of security, while lawlessness and entrenched Saddam 
loyalists continue to obstruct and hinder recovery efforts, progress 
has been made on the security front as well. Large-scale looting has 
stopped, has come to an end. Where there were once, not that long ago, 
empty roads, empty streets, and deserted markets, there are now 
bustling sidewalks with all sorts of items being sold, from shoes to 
satellite dishes to basic utensils. Now you see traffic back on the 
streets and even traffic jams.
  Except for the small, central area--an important area but a small 
area--encompassing Tikrit and Baghdad, security throughout the rest of 
Iraq has improved. Indeed, more than 80 percent of the country is 
living in a more secure environment than they were before the war. Mr. 
President, 34,000 Iraqi police have been rehired, and 30,000 are on 
duty right now. Additionally, over 1,000 guards have been hired to 
protect 87 sites just in Baghdad alone.
  Also, we hear, again: Is it just the United States? Ambassador Bremer 
will share with us the participation and cooperation we are receiving 
from around the world. We are not going it alone. He has mentioned, and 
continues to mention, the international constabulary teams that are 
from Italy and Spain that will serve as a bridge between the combat 
forces and the police.
  The one distressing area we hear about every morning when we wake up 
or late at night is the distressing news of guerrilla activity and 
attacks on our troops. Indeed, our hearts go out to the families who 
have been affected and continue to be affected by this loss of loved 
ones. But it is important for us to understand we are not fighting a 
large-scale insurgency at this point in time. We are fighting the dead-
enders from the old regime, the former Baathists. They have no popular 
support in Iraq. They will not return to power.
  In addition to improving the security of the country, the coalition 
is also working hard to generate a thriving Iraqi economy. Again, we 
have to mention, however, that the Iraqi economy has been grossly 
mismanaged for more than 30 years. By his own estimates, Iraq suffered 
from employment levels at 50 percent before the war. Before the war, at 
least 30 percent of the GDP was spent just on the military--not on 
building infrastructure or refurbishing infrastructure, not on water 
supply or sewage plants or health or education.
  Saddam Hussein had run the country into the ground: 50 percent 
unemployment; 30 percent of the GDP, the gross domestic product, spent 
on the military. Saddam's government spent zero on capital goods. And, 
yes, there were lavish palaces. There were manmade

[[Page 18778]]

lakes, luxury yachts, and cars. Saddam spent untold billions on himself 
and his regime, but for the Iraqi people, for the people themselves, he 
left them a country with an infrastructure, as we witness today, that 
is brittle, that is antiquated, and, indeed, is susceptible to 
breakdown.
  I mention this because, at least in my conversations with the 
Ambassador, it is clear we need for us and the American people to 
understand that part of this reconstruction is going to be 
reconstruction from the war but mainly reconstruction from the last 10, 
15, 20 years of this tyrannical, oppressive regime.
  As we look at the economy, I am fascinated by the dispensing fund 
which has been set up that is financing and will continue to finance 
construction projects and reconstruction projects that are carried out 
by the Iraqis themselves.
  It is currently employing Iraqi construction firms to carry out the 
restoration of that national infrastructure. The coalition is paying 
salaries, paying pensions. It is paying the army and buying crops from 
farmers. And these are the first steps toward building and rebuilding 
that economy, a functioning economy, and indeed they are vital steps. 
And they are under way. Freedom is coming to the Iraqi people. Freedom 
is coming to support their economy.
   In terms of democracy itself, the coalition is leading Iraq toward a 
functioning democracy. It was just a little over a week ago, just 8 
days ago, that the governing council of Iraq was established. The 
council comprises 25 political leaders from across Iraq. Its immediate 
responsibilities include the appointment of ministers, the creation of 
a 2004 budget, and a constitutional process. It is remarkable that 
these 25 will be charged with sitting down and writing a constitution 
really from scratch.
   The governing council will be responsible for creating a 
constitutional process, not just the writing but the actual debate as 
to what should be in the constitution. Once the constitution is 
drafted, then free elections will take place. That will create a 
sovereign Iraqi government. When that government is created, the 
coalition provisional authority's work is essentially done, but it does 
take time. It does take patience. It does take time to rebuild the 
economy, to establish the security that the people of Iraq deserve.
   I welcome the ambassador to the Senate tomorrow to hear of his 
firsthand experiences and to help paint that perspective which makes it 
much easier for us both to view the news and the information that is 
given to us so we can make appropriate policy decisions. It is vitally 
important that we have that complete perspective and that full view of 
the Iraqi situation. We will stay the course. The Iraqi people, of 
course, depend on us to stay the course. It will take time. It will 
take patience. It will take determination.
   It is astounding to me that even in defeat Saddam has the power 
seemingly to turn the free world against itself and divert the media's 
attention from his monstrous crimes. For the last week and a half we 
have had a glossing over of the atrocities this man had committed. I 
appeal to my colleagues to look at the Iraqi people, at this crucial 
turning point in their history, and allow the Iraqis for the first time 
in 30 years to really taste what freedom is all about.
   We talk all the time in this Chamber about helping, reaching out to 
help the oppressed and helping the downtrodden. Now is the time to ask: 
Are Iraqis in some way unworthy, are 300,000 missing people in Iraq 
merely a statistic? Every day our soldiers are turning up mass graves 
full of the bones of men, women, and children who have been hacked down 
literally by Saddam's men. We are beginning to see these images. We in 
this body have had the opportunity to talk to our Senate colleagues who 
have visited Iraq recently. There are literally tiny skeletons strewn 
in the dust alongside these once-adored little plastic baby dolls. The 
images are coming back to us to demonstrate the atrocities committed by 
Saddam Hussein.
   We cannot, we should not look away. We will not look away. We know 
this will take time.
   On the question of weapons of mass destruction, we know, and indeed 
we have those horrifying pictures, that Saddam used chemical and 
biological weapons of mass destruction against his neighbors and his 
own people. Last week on the floor I talked about my opportunity to 
visit directly in my office with Kurdish physicians, who are still 
practicing today, who talked about the thousands of Kurds, Saddam's own 
people, who were killed by the chemical weapons of Saddam Hussein. 
Indeed, these Kurdish physicians tell me they are still taking care of 
people today who suffered the morbidity of having been exposed to 
chemical weapons, those who were fortunate enough to survive.
   Furthermore, Saddam's quest for nuclear weaponry is well known. It 
is indisputable. One only need ask the most elemental question: For 
what purpose were nuclear scientists on Saddam's payroll? Indeed, the 
Senator from Florida, Mr. Graham, told Fox News Sunday:

        What we're concerned about with Iraq is its intention and 
     capabilities to develop weapons of mass destruction, and the 
     merger of that capability with terrorist groups. That is the 
     ultimate nightmare scenario.

   The nightmare is over. A bloody tyrant no longer rules in Iraq. A 
man who without qualm or regret murdered members of his own family and 
tens of thousands of his own citizens has been removed from power. The 
perpetrator of one of the past century's most gruesome crimes against 
humanity, the use of chemical weapons on thousands of innocent Kurdish 
civilians, is no longer free to pursue such weapons. The aggressor in 
the gulf war who a decade ago invaded his neighbor only to be driven 
out by a mighty coalition no longer threatens the volatile region of 
the Middle East. Iraq is no longer a playground for Saddam and his 
demented offspring. Iraq is finally and thankfully on the road to 
liberation.
   Yes, it will be a bumpy road. It will take time. Even America was 
not built in a day. We are rebuilding, not just from the war but from 
30 years of neglect. Today we should be celebrating the historic 
opportunity before the Iraqi people to build a democracy that respects 
the rule of law, that values life, that protects the God-given rights 
of every Iraqi citizen. We should lend them our strength and our 
competence as they face the difficult journey ahead. There can be no 
other course of action.
  I believe that when all is said and done, Iraq will proudly stand 
among the nations of free people.

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