[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14869-14870]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 SMART AND THE PRESIDENT'S IRAQ SPEECH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, the headline in this morning's Washington 
Post reads: ``Bush says War is Worth Sacrifice.'' Well, easy for him to 
say, because he has not sacrificed a thing, unless you count his 
sagging poll numbers.
  This President needs to look into the eyes of more than 1,700 widows 
or grieving mothers and fathers and tell them his preemptive war is 
worth the sacrifice.
  He needs to tell it to my friend Cindy Sheehan, who came to 
Washington two weeks ago and spoke movingly about what it was like to 
see her son Casey, lying in a coffin with the same lack of muscle tone 
he had as a newborn infant 25 years before.
  Casey Sheehan and his family were told there were weapons of mass 
destruction. They were told Saddam Hussein was connected to the attacks 
on America nearly 4 years ago. And long after that myth had been 
debunked, President Bush still had the audacity to go before the 
American people last night and raise the ``bloody flag of 
9/11,'' as a New York Times editorial put it.
  I have been to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the President 
spoke last night. In fact, 3 months ago I spoke there at a peace rally 
organized by a group called Iraq Veterans Against the War. Fayetteville 
is actually home to a vibrant anti-war community. Not despite the fact 
that it is home to Fort Bragg, but because it is a military stronghold. 
With a majority of Americans turning against this war, it only makes 
sense that those who have sacrificed the most for this war are also 
opposed to it.
  The President insisted last night that Iraq is the central front in 
the war on terrorism, and it is true that terrorists are now flocking 
to Iraq, like moths to a flame. But how did that happen? Iraq has 
become a terrorist breeding ground because of President Bush's 
premeditated, preemptive invasion of Iraq.
  Every day that our soldiers are in Iraq is another day that the 
insurgents are emboldened by their hatred for America. It is the 
occupation itself that gives rise to the insurgency and inflames it, 
putting our troops in more danger than ever.
  Perhaps what is most galling about the President saying Iraq is worth 
the sacrifice is that he and his administration do not truly honor that 
sacrifice.

                              {time}  2245

  With their rhetoric, they do, perhaps, but what about their actions? 
If they honored the sacrifice, surely they

[[Page 14870]]

would have found a way to get our soldiers the protective armor they 
need. And if they honored the sacrifice, why are they coming up $1 
billion short of what is needed to deliver health care for our 
veterans?
  We heard nothing new last night, no new information, no new plan, no 
new explanation or justification for 1,700 plus dead, thousands 
wounded, and over $200 billion squandered. It is time we showed our 
support for the troops by removing them from harm's way, by ending this 
disastrous war, by bringing them home to their families as soon as 
possible.
  But that is not good enough, Mr. Speaker. We need an entirely new 
approach to defending America. Where is it written that a strong 
national security policy must involve violence and bloodshed?
  I have proposed a new plan called SMART Security. SMART stands for 
Sensible Multilateral American Response to Terrorism for the 21st 
Century. Its guiding principle is that war should be the absolute last 
resort. It would protect America through stronger global alliances, a 
commitment to diplomacy, and vigorous weapons inspections. SMART would 
also address the root causes of terrorism by confronting the poverty, 
despair, and hopelessness that foster terrorism in the first place. And 
it includes an ambitious international development agenda: democracy-
building, education, infrastructure projects, support for environmental 
stewardship, and more, for the troubled, underdeveloped nations of the 
world.
  SMART is tough, pragmatic, and patriotic. It protects America by 
relying on the very best of American values: our commitment to freedom, 
our compassion for the people of the world, and our capacity for 
multilateral leadership. SMART Security begins, in fact, and nothing 
would be smarter, with a plan to bring our troops home.

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