[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19589-19590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            DISARRAY ON IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 20, 2004, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, how can we expect President Bush and his 
administration to win the war in Iraq if they continue to deny the 
realities our troops and the Iraqi people face on the ground?
  Last week provides several examples of a Bush administration in 
disarray: Cabinet officials contradicting each other on a daily basis 
and a President who continues to live in denial. Not only is the 
President in denial, but his hand-picked Iraqi Prime Minister appeared 
to be reading off the exact same page when he visited Washington last 
week.
  During a press conference in the Rose Garden President Bush claimed 
that ``these have been months of steady progress.'' And in this House 
chamber last week Prime Minister Allawi echoed the President, reminding 
my colleagues ``not to forget the progress we are making in Iraq.''
  President Bush and Prime Minister Allawi can say we are making 
progress in Iraq, but the facts simply do not support their claims. 
Attacks against Iraqis and U.S. military personnel over the last couple 
of weeks are dramatically higher than they were in the weeks after the 
handover of power to

[[Page 19590]]

the interim Iraqi government. Today on average 70 attacks occur on a 
daily basis, compared to 40 to 50 in July. Over the past 2 weeks these 
attacks have killed more than 250 Iraqis and 29 U.S. military 
personnel. How in the world is that progress, Madam Speaker?
  President Bush also ignores the real dangers surrounding the 
scheduled Iraqi elections in January. At his press conference last 
week, the President said the elections are still possible based on the 
situation on the ground. His reason is ``because the Prime Minister 
told me they are.''
  Well, neither the President nor the Prime Minister could provide any 
evidence to support their steadfast belief that the January elections 
must proceed despite the realities on the ground.
  That same day, Iraq's most powerful Shiite leader threatened to 
withdraw his support for the elections. And UN Secretary General Annan 
also voiced concern that elections may need to be delayed due to 
security concerns on the ground.
  Madam Speaker, even President Bush's cabinet is providing 
contradictory information regarding the January elections. Last week at 
a Senate hearing, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld raised the possibility 
that some areas of Iraq might be excluded from voting in January. 
Secretary Rumsfeld said, ``Let's say you tried to have an election and 
you could have it in three-quarters or four-fifths of the country, but 
in some places you couldn't because the violence was too great. Well, 
so be it. Nothing's perfect in life.''
  That is what Rumsfeld said. Image that.
  How could Secretary Rumsfeld conclude that the Iraqi people would 
consider such an election legitimate if a significant portion of the 
Iraqi people were not allowed to participate?
  Fortunately, there has one member of the President's Cabinet that is 
not afraid to put aside the President's talking points and speak the 
truth. This weekend, Secretary of State Powell refuted the President's 
claims that progress is being made in Iraq. Not only did Secretary 
Powell say the insurgency in Iraq is getting worse, he also supported 
Senator Kerry's contentions that the U.S. occupation of Iraq has 
increased anti-American sentiment in Muslim countries.
  Secretary Powell also refuted Secretary Rumsfeld's outrageous 
statements about the January election. What Powell said is, ``For the 
elections to have complete credibility and stand the test of 
international scrutiny, I think what we have to do is to give all the 
people of Iraq an opportunity to participate.''
  Now, I obviously agree with what Secretary Powell says, but it is no 
wonder the situation in Iraq is so tenable. We have a President who 
either refuses to believe there is a problem in Iraq or does not think 
it is a problem to mislead the American people about how serious the 
situation currently is.
  We also have an administration that never seems to be on the same 
page. One cabinet official is saying one thing while another one is 
saying just the opposite.
  So, Madam Speaker, this is no way to lead a war, clearly. It is a 
flawed rationale for the war to begin with, in failing to have a plan 
once Baghdad fell, and President Bush's record essentially has not been 
good. It has been a failure.
  He failed to provide the troops with the equipment they needed, and 
he also failed to implement his reconstruction plans in Iraq, and he 
has left, essentially, Iraq in chaos. I do not think the world can 
afford another four years of this failed leadership on behalf of the 
Bush administration.

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