[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IRAQ IS EVER MORE DANGEROUS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 7, 2004

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, the land of the ``not quite right'' has turned 
into the land of the ever more dangerous and difficult. I returned to 
Iraq last week on a Congressional fact-finding mission after less than 
a year since my previous visit. The trip gave me an opportunity to hear 
from our troops in the field, meet with military commanders and visit 
with some Iraqi citizens.
  Unquestionably, the mission in Iraq has become more dangerous and 
difficult. The insurgents have expanded their support. They are more 
sophisticated, coordinated and lethal in their tactics. They enjoy 
sanctuaries in some major cities and they are exploiting the lack of 
progress in rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure to their advantage.
  Our troops are doing a terrific job under difficult and dangerous 
circumstances. We can all be proud of our men and women in the military 
who are following their orders, carrying out their missions and 
sacrificing so much to give the Iraqi people a chance for a more 
peaceful and prosperous future. But they seem tired and stretched very 
thin. I had lunch and dinner with many of our soldiers from Wisconsin 
during my trip. Nothing makes you more proud to be an American than the 
chance to see our soldiers performing their duties under trying 
conditions. They are all well-trained, well-motivated and represent the 
best America has to offer.
  Fortunately, the conditions for most of our soldiers have improved 
from a year ago. The supplies have caught up to them. They have a good 
selection of food and beverages. Most have air-conditioned places in 
which to sleep. Communications back home have gotten much better and 
on-line education courses are offered to those interested in continuing 
their education.
  But when they go out on patrol, they don't know who the enemy is, 
where the next ambush is going to come, and whether they are going to 
get back to camp in one piece. Many have to go out on patrols seven 
days a week. They return to get some sleep before they go out again the 
next day. They would gladly welcome a cold beer when they do finish 
their shift (alcohol is prohibited in Iraq) and they hate the ``stop-
loss'' orders that prevent them from being rotated out of Iraq at the 
end of their tours.
  Forty percent of our troops in Iraq are Guard and Reserve Units. They 
are there for 1 year once their boots hit the ground. With training and 
preparation before deployment, our Guard and Reserve are away from 
their families and jobs for up to 18 months. And many that have 
returned home are being put on notice for future activation and 
deployment. Clearly, such a sacrifice on so few for so long is 
unsustainable.
  I was surprised by the lack of progress in rebuilding the Iraqi 
infrastructure to meet the basic needs of the people, such as: running 
water, electricity, garbage pick-up and a good workable sewer system. 
Of the $19 billion appropriated to rebuild Iraq only $1 billion has 
been spent so far. I spoke to one Iraqi woman and asked if she felt her 
neighbors are growing impatient. She chuckled and said ``we're tired of 
being patient. We've been patient for 35 years, we want results now.''
  The Iraqis are a people who believe that if the United States can put 
a person on the moon, then we are capable of helping them so much more. 
They see our impressive military with all the technology rolling 
through their communities and they are wondering why we can't get their 
water running or their electricity hooked up. And the insurgents are 
quick to pin the blame on us. But without security it will be difficult 
to make significant progress with reconstruction. It's hard to walk 
into a neighborhood with a hammer in one hand and a gun in the other.
  Nor are the Iraqi Security Forces trained and equipped sufficiently 
to assume more of the security responsibility themselves. Many of the 
Iraqi forces and their families are being targeted themselves by the 
insurgents and there are numerous instances of insurgents penetrating 
these forces for their own advantage. But helping the Iraqis to develop 
the capability to provide for their own security is our ultimate exit 
strategy and it seems we've wasted a good year in doing that.
  What then needs to be done? First and foremost, we need to make sure 
our troops are getting everything they need to do their job effectively 
and safely, which includes double reinforced steel vehicles to protect 
our troops against roadside bombs, the weapon of choice by the 
insurgents. We need to enhance security so there is a safe environment 
for the Iraqi people to participate in the national elections by 
January. That means trying to work with Iraqi Security forces to take 
away the insurgents' sanctuaries and diminish their capability. We need 
to step up our efforts in employing local Iraqis to rebuild their own 
country. There is a direct correlation between those areas with a high 
unemployment rate (70 percent in some places) and from where the 
insurgency is coming. We need to ask for more help from NATO and 
countries in the Arab League to provide training and equipment for a 
new Iraqi Security Force so we can begin to fade into the background 
and eventually bring our troops home.
  Cutting and running is not an option. It would guarantee chaos, 
possible civil war, a sanctuary for international terrorism and a power 
vacuum that Iran would be more than happy to fill in the region. But 
our leaders in this country need to level with the American people. Our 
task in Iraq will not be easy. It has already become more difficult. 
More international support would alleviate the high cost we are now 
paying in both lives and money as well as add legitimacy to what we are 
trying to accomplish with the Iraqi people. It is not a lost cause, 
yet. But our window of opportunity is closing rapidly.

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