[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong 
support for both the men and women of our Armed Forces and the American 
civilians serving in Iraq through the Department of State and other 
U.S. agencies. I thank them for their courage and the dedication that 
they have so bravely displayed in carrying out their noble mission of 
liberating and securing Iraq from tyranny and terrorism.
  Mr. Speaker, I have witnessed such dedication in conversations with a 
former staffer of mine who returned from Iraq this past summer and from 
one of my former interns who served with the United States Army in 
Iraq. I have frequently discussed the situation in Iraq with my 
husband, Dexter, a decorated Vietnam veteran who was wounded in combat 
and was awarded a Purple Heart.
  However, it has been my talks with my stepson Dougie, a first 
lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps who is currently serving in Iraq, 
which has helped me the most and has had the most profound effect on me 
and helped me to fully comprehend the importance of the mission that 
our men and women in the Armed Forces are embarked upon in Iraq. To him 
it is not an obligation. It is an honor and a privilege to have the 
opportunity to serve our country; to contribute to the freedom of the 
Iraqi people; to confront the terrorists; and perhaps most importantly, 
to fight tyranny, as the Greatest Generation did during World War II.
  Our mission is just. It has far-reaching, longstanding, strategic, 
and political ramifications. It is helping to further U.S. security and 
foreign policy goals throughout the region. For these reasons and, most 
importantly, for my stepson Doug Lehtinen, and his fiancee, Lindsay 
Nelson, who is also a Marine officer currently serving in Iraq, and all 
of the members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq 
and elsewhere, we must continue to fully support our troops and their 
mission. Simply stated, we cannot afford to yield a victory to the 
terrorists in Iraq and throughout the region.
  Iraq is one of the epicenters of the U.S. comprehensive strategy to 
fight terrorism worldwide, a strategy that includes killing and 
disrupting terrorists abroad; confronting theocratic and autocratic 
regimes that harbor terrorists and facilitate terrorist attacks; and 
promoting economic reform and democracy as a means to address those 
threats.
  Our ability to project major Armed Forces to the very heart of the 
Middle East provides the United States, as well as our allies in the 
war against terrorism, the wherewithal to directly address the tactical 
and ideological challenges of Islamic extremism. Our presence in Iraq 
further strengthens our leverage against current and emerging 
democracies and increases the deterrent value of U.S. power.
  Finally, through the promotion of incipient Iraqi democracy, we can 
continue our concerted efforts to counter the root causes of Islamic 
extremism and terrorism in that area.
  However, our success in Iraq will not come without challenges. 
Creating new and effective political and security institutions in Iraq 
takes time. The task before us is not insurmountable; but if rushed, we 
do risk failure for lack of persistence. The continuing presence of 
U.S. and coalition forces must be determined by the achievement of 
concrete objectives. We cannot send a message to the terrorists that 
their war of attrition is succeeding and that we are weakening in our 
resolve to win.
  The Iraqi people have not weakened their resolve, and they have 
clearly demonstrated their commitment to both the establishment and the 
solidification of a democratic political culture through their January 
30 election, through the October 15 referendum on their Constitution, 
and their preparations for the December 15 elections.
  Our men and women in uniform are not and have not weakened their 
resolve. Let us not weaken our resolve in the United States Congress. 
Let us not waver in our commitment to our mission, our very important 
and noble cause in Iraq.

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