[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17190-17191]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2030
                         THE SITUATION IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Davis of Kentucky). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to stand in solidarity with the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) and other Members who are 
calling for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. As other Members 
have stated earlier, I commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Woolsey) for her persistence, for her 100 days of bringing this issue 
before the American people as she has so clearly articulated the facts 
as related to our situation in Iraq.
  The war in Iraq has become a crisis of global proportions. Every day 
there are violent attacks on innocent civilians in Iraq and on our 
service men and women stationed there. We have seen the fact that the 
President has overstated the situation in Iraq. We are starting to see 
a backlash around the world. Just recently, Egypt's Ambassador to Iraq 
was kidnapped and subsequently killed. Algeria's diplomatic staff of 
only a handful of people have been withdrawn because, even though the 
North African country has no troops in Iraq, just to represent the 
current government and recognize it, two of its staff were kidnapped 
last week.
  The President has overstated the threat that Iraq had weapons of mass 
destruction and biological and chemical weapons in order to frighten 
the American public into giving him preemptive strike ability and for 
the support of this war.
  The U.S. presence of approximately 150,000 troops in Iraq is fueling 
our enemies around the world and causing them to rise up against not 
only Americans, but anyone who supports the American occupation in 
Iraq. Our presence is not containing violence, it is almost sparking 
violence. Almost every day there are fatal car bombings and suicide 
bombings. Men in the military for Iraq are being targeted. Policemen in 
the service for Iraq are targeted and killed. Diplomats are being 
targeted and killed.
  We cannot ignore that the deadly bombs in London 2\1/2\ weeks ago are 
also inextricably linked to Iraq. We cannot ignore the fact that the 
insurgents have not been weakened since Congress authorized the 
President to use force in Iraq in October 2002, almost 2 years ago, nor 
can we ignore the fact that life for Iraqis under this occupation is 
far worse than life was before the occupation.
  Estimates range between 15,000 and 17,000 innocent Iraqis have died 
to date. This is not an improvement in the life they had. These are 
innocent people who now have lost their lives because of the preemptive 
strike there. At the very least, basic services that we take for 
granted in the United States, such as electricity, running water and 
sewage systems, are destroyed and not accessible to all Iraqis.
  Even our brave service men and women are suffering. We still hear 
about some of their needs that are not being met. When I was there 
earlier this year, soldiers told me about being attacked in unarmed 
Humvees, and wanted to know why were there not enough armed vehicles to 
protect them. They showed me a Humvee that is not properly protected 
and those that are. It is a world of difference.
  A March 27 report in USA Today revealed that the Pentagon realized 
they did not have enough armed Humvees, only 235 in June 2003. We 
should not plan a war without having the equipment to fight it. Yet 
more than 2 years later, I was hearing from our young men and women in 
the service that still the Humvees are not all up to where they ought 
to be for protection.

[[Page 17191]]

This means there was poor planning and poor execution of this war, and 
our troops bear the brunt of the Pentagon's shortsightedness. The 
President must do more to protect our troops.
  Let me ask for the support of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Woolsey), H. Con. 35, where she asked for the development of a plan, 
and I commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for her 
persistence.

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