[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20681-20683]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, for the past several days, I have 
followed the remarks of the senior Senator from Massachusetts relative 
to Iraq and the war on terrorism. He likes to talk more about yesterday 
and not as much about tomorrow. He finds fault in everything that the 
President and his team have done to protect our lives, our liberties, 
and our way of life. He interprets facts to fit his dismal view of 
Iraq.
  What bothers me the most about his many public statements condemning 
the war in Iraq is that he does so while we still have troops engaged 
in securing that country. These troops know it is vital--absolutely 
vital--for the long-term security of the United States and our allies 
that they succeed in helping Iraq become a free and democratic country.
  The most recent edition of the Army Times newspaper contains a very 
telling survey of Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard troops on 
their views of Iraq and the Presidential race which bears out this 
point. This is the October 11th edition of the Army Times.
  I ask unanimous consent that the article, which appears beginning on 
page 14, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                         [From the Army Times]

                              The Military

                         (By Gordon Trowbridge)

       President Bush retains overwhelming support among the 
     military's professional core despite a troubled mission in 
     Iraq and an opponent who is a decorated combat veteran, a 
     Military Times survey of more than 4,000 readers indicates.
       Bush leads Democratic Sen. John Kerry 73 percent to 18 
     percent in the voluntary survey of 4,165 active-duty, 
     National Guard and reserve subscribers to Army Times, Navy 
     Times, Marine Corps Times and Air Force Times.
       Though the results of the Military Times 2004 Election 
     Survey are not representative of the opinions of the military 
     as a whole,

[[Page 20682]]

     they are a disappointment to Democrats who hoped Kerry's 
     record and doubts about Bush would give their candidate an 
     opening in a traditionally Republican group with tremendous 
     symbolic value in a closely contested election.
       ``For a long time, Kerry thought he had a chance to win the 
     mantle and beat Bush on the issue of who could be the better 
     commander in chief,'' said Peter Feaver, a political science 
     professor at Duke University who has written extensively on 
     civil-military relations and the political opinions of those 
     in uniform.
       Feaver said journalists and political analyst focus heavily 
     on the opinions of military members because of a situation 
     the nation hasn't faced in more than 30 years: a heated 
     presidential race amid a difficult and controversial war.
       While the survey found some readers with doubts about 
     Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, there was remarkable 
     consistency in their views of the two candidates.
       Officers and enlisted troops, active-duty members and 
     reservists, those who have served in combat zones and those 
     who haven't, all supported Bush by large margins. And the 
     survey hints that Kerry's emphasis of his decorated service 
     in Vietnam may have done more harm than good with those in 
     uniform.


                           ``from the heart''

       ``It's about honesty and integrity,'' said Marine Sgt. 
     Jason Jester, who was interviewed separately from the survey.
       Jester, a recruiter from Winston-Salem, N.C., voted for 
     Bush in 2000 and plans to do so again.
       ``He might not always make the right decisions, but I think 
     the decisions he makes come from the heart.''
       To conduct the survey, Military Times e-mailed more than 
     31,000 subscribers Sept. 15. They were invited to access an 
     Internet site seeking their opinions on the presidential race 
     and related issues. From Sept. 21 to 28, and before the first 
     presidential debate on Sept. 30, a total of 2,754 active-duty 
     and 1,411 reserve and Guard members took part.
       The nature of the survey led experts to caution against 
     reading the results as representative of the military as a 
     whole.
       Unlike most public opinion polls, the Military Times survey 
     did not randomly select those to question. Instead, 
     subscribers with e-mail addresses on file were sent an 
     invitation. That means there is no statistical margin of 
     error for the survey--so it's impossible to calculate how 
     accurately the results reflect the views of Military Times 
     readers.
       The surveyed group is older, higher in rank and more 
     career-oriented than the military as a whole. Junior enlisted 
     troops in particular are underrepresented in the group that 
     responded.
       But as a snapshot of the careerist core of the armed 
     services, the survey holds little good news for Kerry, 
     revealing a group with strong Republican leanings that the 
     Democratic challenger has not shaken. Among the findings:
       Echoing previous Military Times polls and other research, 
     the survey found a group with a close affinity for the 
     Republican Party. About 60 percent of those surveyed 
     identified themselves as Republicans, while 13 percent 
     consider themselves Democrats and 20 percent independents. 
     Among the general population, pollsters usually find voters 
     evenly divided among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, the caption is: ``Troops sound off. Who 
do you choose for President and why?''
  Among Active-Duty forces, 66 percent in this poll said the most 
important issue for them in deciding for whom to vote is the war in 
Iraq. In the same poll, 60 percent said they approve of the way 
President Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, and 72 percent said 
if the Presidential election were held today, they would vote for 
President Bush. That is quite a statement of support for the Commander 
in Chief and his policies in Iraq from those who are actually doing the 
fighting and the dirty work to bring security and prosperity to that 
country.
  Even more significant are the results from the Reserve and National 
Guard troops who have been called to active duty and deployed to Iraq. 
Among this group, 72 percent said the most important issue for them is 
the war in Iraq; 63 percent approve of the President's policies in 
Iraq; and a full 76 percent of the Reserve and National Guard soldiers 
who have actually been deployed to a combat zone said they are planning 
on voting for President Bush. These are amazing figures from both our 
Active Duty and Reserve Forces that tell us much more about what is 
going on in Iraq than just the reports of the bombings and kidnaping.
  Listening to the assessments from my colleague from Massachusetts 
begs the question: Why do the vast majority of our soldiers and marines 
engaged in ground operations in Iraq appreciate the importance of our 
mission there and believe they are engaged in a historical struggle 
that will lead to a better world and a safer America when a senior 
Senator cannot see the same thing? Are they right or is he right?
  As I reflect on the words of the Senator from Massachusetts, I am 
reminded of that famous quotation made by McLandburgh Wilson:

       Twixt the optimist and pessimist,
       The difference is droll:
       The optimist sees the doughnut,
       But the pessimist sees the hole.

  When it comes to Iraq and the war on terrorism, my colleague from 
Massachusetts sees the hole, when he should be seeing the doughnut.
  I suspect that nothing we say in this Chamber will change his views 
on the issue. Nevertheless, I feel obligated to make some remarks about 
why our troops are fighting in Iraq, and why some are giving the 
ultimate sacrifice for our country. It is important for our troops and 
their families to know that not all Senators only see the ``hole.''
  Our policy in Iraq should not be viewed in isolation. The issue is 
far more complex than that. It is important to understand the linkage 
between the Islamic terrorists who want to destroy us and the 
totalitarian regimes under which so many of them were raised. People 
who have such a deranged view of a Supreme Being that they believe 
their religion sanctions their own suicide, while killing innocent 
people, and do not come from free, open, and democratic countries and 
societies.
  Let me explain how I look at Iraq and the war on terrorism. If we 
look at each incident individually, each bombing, each hostage taking, 
each killing, et cetera, we get one impression of these events. What we 
should do instead is put ourselves in the place of an eagle soaring 
high and looking down on everything that is going on inside of Iraq.
  When we take the eagle's view, this is what we see: Iraq is no longer 
a sanctuary for terrorists, it is no longer a country that threatens 
its neighbors, and it is no longer a threat to world peace and order.
  The insurgency in Iraq is confined to 3 of the 18 provinces, and the 
country is preparing for its first democratic election only 4 months 
from now.
  Iraqi leaders, Iraqi soldiers, and Iraqi policemen are stepping 
forward in the thousands to take back their country from the 
terrorists.
  All we have to do to see what progress is being made in this area is 
to look at the success we have had just over this weekend. It was not 
just American troops who had success in Samarra, one of the most 
violent places inside of Iraq; it was the now-trained Iraqi security 
police who fought side by side with the American troops, who received 
the praise of the American troops for the training, preparation, and 
the great job they did in not just helping secure the peace but driving 
the insurgents out of that town and providing a safer and more secure 
community in which the people could live.
  America, along with many other countries, remains firm and will not 
be deterred from achieving the goal of seeing a democracy in Iraq.
  There is a realistic understanding of the difficulties and dangers in 
Iraq, but there are also visionary, optimistic leaders in Iraq and in 
the many countries that make up the multinational force who are 
determined to see the insurgency fail.
  There have been many references to the July 2004 National 
Intelligence Estimate, or the NIE. In fact, Senator Kennedy said in 
this Chamber on 29 September 2004 that the best case scenario in that 
NIE was that violence in Iraq would continue at current levels, with 
tenuous political and economic stability. Regardless of what this 
classified NIE actually said, I do know it was based on information 
that is but a snapshot in time and that time continues to move on.
  There are many things visible today that were not clear when that NIE 
was written. The character of the Iraqi leadership was unknown last 
June, but no one who heard Prime Minister Allawi speak to the Joint 
Session of Congress recently could be anything

[[Page 20683]]

but impressed with his enthusiasm, his intellect, and, most 
importantly, his determination to see a free and safe and democratic 
Iraq.
  Lieutenant General Petraeus has been working assiduously to build up 
the Iraqi security forces. Last June, when the NIE was written, very 
few of those forces had completed their training. Now trained and 
competent Iraqi Army and police units are on duty and are assuming the 
major role in restoring security in their own country, and the training 
continues, so we can expect even more Iraqi security forces to assume 
their duties every month, just as they did in Samarra this past 
weekend.
  We are engaged in an enormous struggle of historic proportions to see 
freedom and democracy spread throughout the Islamic world, and this 
will set the foundation for a final peaceful solution between Israel 
and Palestine. It will also, in the long term, eliminate the 
politically oppressive environment and poor economic conditions that 
have been the breeding grounds for terrorists to find new recruits.
  I want to say to our military personnel and their families that your 
role in this historic and important struggle is the key to its success. 
You will look back with pride on your contributions and your sacrifices 
to make our country and the world safer. When you see what you have 
accomplished from an eagle's view, you will not see the hole that a 
pessimist sees.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
notwithstanding morning business, it now be in order to consider 
amendments to the pending intelligence reform bill, and for the 
information of all Senators, these are amendments that have been 
cleared on both sides. This will only take a few moments.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Chambliss). Is there objection?
  Mr. STEVENS. Reserving the right to object, I intended to speak for 1 
minute before the time had expired for morning business. Will the 
Senator yield for just one brief comment?
  Ms. COLLINS. I will be happy to yield.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.

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