[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23609-23610]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TIME TO END THE WAR IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 4, 2005, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, 2,000 American troops have now lost their 
lives in Iraq. It is time to end this war. Let us bring our troops home 
and restore U.S. credibility in the world community. This war was based 
on fiction. That is a fact that is no longer disputed. There were no 
weapons of mass destruction and no ties to al Qaeda. There was no 
imminent threat. This administration, with the acquiescence of 
Congress, rushed into a war that, according to Secretary of State Colin 
Powell's former chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson, has made our country 
more vulnerable, not less, to future crisis.
  The Bush administration has stubbornly refused to reassess the 
situation. They have refused to listen to the words of military and 
diplomatic leaders who have warned that a continuing U.S. presence in 
Iraq will not calm the violence or lead to a more stable Iraq. The U.S. 
presence in Iraq is now a major part of the problem. Al Qaeda is in 
Iraq today because we are there. The abuse and torture by U.S. forces 
of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and the near 3-year occupation by 
U.S. troops have made us an unpopular force in Iraq even among those 
who originally supported the U.S. invasion. We have spent over $300 
billion on the war with no end in sight. It is estimated that another 2 
years of war will boost that amount to $1 trillion. Our military is 
stretched to the limit, with much of the burden falling on our Guard 
and Reserves.
  There are some politicians in Washington who say that, no matter 
what, we must ``stay the course.'' I strongly disagree. It is worth 
pointing out that it is not Congressmen, Senators or members of the 
Bush administration whose lives are on the line in battle. It takes no 
courage for anybody in Washington to wave the American flag and send 
more troops. We owe our brave fighting men and women so much more. 
Washington made a mistake in going to war. It is time for politicians 
to admit that mistake and fix it before any more lives are lost.
  ``In Vietnam, we didn't have the lesson of Vietnam to guide us,'' 
says David Halberstam, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of 
that war. He goes on to say, ``In Iraq we did have those lessons. The 
tragedy is that we didn't pay any attention to them.''
  Mr. Speaker, we have now sacrificed the lives of 2,000 members of our 
Armed Forces in Iraq. Thousands of others are wounded. Tens of 
thousands of civilians from Iraq and elsewhere have died since the U.S. 
entered Baghdad and ostensibly took control of the nation.

[[Page 23610]]

  This week I am introducing a resolution to prohibit the use of 
taxpayer funds to deploy United States Armed Forces to Iraq. This bill, 
however, will allow funds to be used for the safe and orderly 
withdrawal of our troops. It will allow us to support transitional 
security provided by other countries, including international 
organizations like NATO and the United Nations. The bill will also 
allow for continued support for Iraqi security forces and international 
forces in Iraq, as well as funding for reconstruction efforts. This is 
not a cut and run strategy. Rather, it is a way to support efforts that 
I believe can be more helpful in creating a more stable Iraq. But the 
bill makes clear, no more U.S. boots on the ground in Iraq. Ultimately, 
the future of Iraq will depend on whether the various factions in the 
country genuinely and truly want to live with each other. No 
constitution or election can fully determine that outcome.
  This war has cost us dearly in terms of human life and treasure. At a 
time when we are shortchanging our veterans here at home, our schools, 
health care and even our homeland security, it makes no sense to throw 
good money after bad in this quagmire in Iraq. Sometimes great nations 
misstep, as I believe we have done in this case. It is now time to ask 
the tough questions and face the hard truths. It is time to end this 
war.

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