[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 7422-7423]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            THE WAR IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the President has said that bringing 
freedom to Iraq would not be easy and that it would not be fast. I 
think it is important that Americans know that we are indeed making 
incredible progress, but it is unrealistic to expect that after 12 
weeks of digging himself in that we will be able to remove Saddam in a 
week.
  Just yesterday, critics were questioning whether Iraqis really wanted 
freedom because there had been no popular uprisings against Saddam 
Hussein's henchmen. Well, today we have reports from our allies that in 
Basra, Iraqi civilians have challenged Saddam's soldiers. Clearly, the 
President and his advisers have a plan and it is working.
  The second point I would like to make this evening is that we must 
remember the unsung heroes of this conflict, the military families. For 
every American soldier, there is a family, there is a community and an 
entire Nation who is praying that all will go well.

                              {time}  1945

  It is imperative that we keep them in our prayers, for too often the 
challenges that they face go unnoticed.
  Mr. Speaker, Fort Campbell sits in my congressional district. I would 
like to take this time to honor the families of the soldiers from Fort 
Campbell, the Special Operations forces, the 101st

[[Page 7423]]

forces. We appreciate so much these families and the sacrifice that 
they are making to see freedom and liberty preserved not only in our 
country but also for the Iraqi people.

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