[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8603]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MISMANAGEMENT OF WAR IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I was appalled at the 
comments that just preceded me.
  John Kerry is a brave man today, and he was a brave man 35 years ago 
when he answered his country's call and was wounded on its behalf. And 
to hear one say that he came close to giving aid and comfort, of 
course, that is part of a phrase that describes treason, is unworthy of 
this House. And to couple that sort of wholly unjustified attack on 
this brave man because he challenges the President and then to say, 
well, let us avoid partisan rhetoric, there are no words to describe 
that that would be acceptable under the rules of the House.
  I do want to talk about what is going on in Iraq, and I do it with 
great sadness. Six months ago if someone had told me that American 
military personnel and civilians employed by the United States 
Government had engaged in the kind of outrageous dehumanizing behavior 
that we have recently seen public, I would have been indignant. I would 
have said, look, I disagree with the Iraq policy. I did not vote to go 
to war with Iraq, but I think it is unfair to accuse Americans of this.
  And we now say that we have to acknowledge that Americans empowered 
by the United States Government, not specifically to do that, but they 
were there because of American government policy, committed these 
outrageous acts. But it is not enough simply to blame a handful of 
individuals as the majority tried to do earlier today with a 
resolution.
  I want to stress again how absolutely wrong it was for the Republican 
majority in the House to bring forward today a resolution on this 
extraordinarily important question. I am told the President just 
apologized, as he should have. He should have done it earlier.
  We have got a major set-back in American policy but more importantly, 
a revelation that Americans did things in the name of the country that 
should not have been contemplated, much less done. And we were only 
given an hour to discuss it? And the majority used its automatic 
submissive majority of its Members to prevent any amendment, to prevent 
any proposal. Many of us believe it is not enough for the military to 
investigate itself. They have known about this for some time.
  First of all, this is the military's failing. Though the Secretary of 
Defense did not do this in this prison, but the Secretary of Defense 
and his aides set up this prison which led this to happening, the 
inadequate supervision, the whole problem here, this is one which we 
must thoroughly investigate. And having the perpetrators not of the 
particular acts but of the efforts that led to these acts investigates 
themselves is wholly unacceptable.
  We were not even allowed because of this automatic submissive 
majority to offer an amendment to call for that sort of an 
investigation. I want to stress again, what could be more bizarre than 
for us to tell the Iraqis that we will teach them how to be democratic, 
with a small D.
  We in particular are telling the Shiites who are in the majority in 
Iraq, use your majority wisely and prudently. Yes, if you are in the 
majority you have a right ultimately to make the decision, but please 
show respect for minority rights. Please encourage openness.
  I only hope, Mr. Speaker, that the Iraqis were not watching the 
debate today because if the Shiites were to emulate the House 
Republicans in terms of their approach to democracy, then we have very 
little chance of achieving what we want.
  I only hope that people in the leadership of the Shiite movement in 
Iraq do not take the majority leader of this House as an exemplar of 
democracy. But it is not simply the inadequate way in which the 
military has responded to these outrages, and we might never have known 
if these things were not leaked. The military knew for a long time. 
They came up here and talked to committees. They misled people when 
they asked questions about contractors. They left names off lists. The 
way in which they have handled this was outrageous.
  I wish it were an exception. I wish this terrible abuse and these 
cover ups and this refusal to supervise adequately, I wish it were an 
exception. But we also had, within the last week or two, the on-again 
off-again appointment of the Iraqi general in Falujah in which, first 
of all, we were going to have a war in Falujah. Fortunately, they 
decided, let us try to minimize the killing. So they appoint an Iraqi 
general to be in charge.
  First we were told he is acceptable to everybody. Then it turned out 
because of his previous connections to the regime he was unacceptable 
and a new general comes in.
  We have had error after error after error. We have a lack of 
coordination between the State and Defense Departments. I do not think 
there has been a major national security operation handled as 
incompetently as the way this administration has muddled in Iraq in a 
very long time.
  Vietnam ultimately became a terrible set of mistakes, but I do not 
think in a comparable period Vietnam was as badly handled.
  This administration has failed this country in the miserably 
incompetent way it has handled Iraq.

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