[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4572]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR IN IRAQ

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, today this House should recognize that just 
1 year ago the campaign started in Iraq to liberate the Iraqi people. A 
significant part of the war on terrorism, military victory in Iraq, and 
the capture of Saddam Hussein have helped move the world closer to 
safety.
  Make no mistake about it, the decision to go into Iraq was not taken 
lightly. And the price of freedom is costly, but we must endure. We 
must recognize and relate the victories that have been achieved.
  Unfortunately, we cannot count on our own news outlets to be 
objective and complete in this, because just last week, Mr. Speaker, a 
momentous event occurred that has yet to receive sufficient mention in 
the press. And this, of course, was the signing of the interim Iraqi 
Constitution by the 25 signatories.
  The press scarcely reported what will likely be the outcome of this 
constitution and how this will shape the world events for the rest of 
this century.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate our President on his leadership 
for getting this done. I want to congratulate Ambassador Bremer.

                              {time}  1015

  I want to congratulate our soldiers and our Reservists who dedicate 
themselves to ensuring as much safety as possible for the people of 
Iraq. As we focus on the future, we must understand that sacrifices 
have to be made for democracy and freedom to flourish for generations 
to come.

                          ____________________