[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Pages 26064-26065]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       CONTINUED PROGRESS IN IRAQ

  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, we are today at war--in Iraq, Afghanistan, 
and so many other places in the world, with an enemy who knows no 
borders. The recent bombings in Amman, Jordan during a wedding 
celebration are a strong reminder that terrorists know no limits to 
their ambitions and the means by which they would achieve those 
ambitions, however violent and horrific.
  Our dedicated American service men and women have answered a noble 
calling to defeat terrorism, taking the fight to the terrorists abroad, 
so that we do not have to fight them here at home. The central 
battleground in the war on terror is Iraq. It has been just 3 years 
since Iraq was liberated from the brutal regime of an evil dictator, 
and in that time, we have made tremendous progress. A constitutional 
democracy is taking hold, and the Middle East is moving towards greater 
stability. It is integral to the continued progress in this region and 
to the overall war on terror that we not allow the cowardly acts of 
insurgents to derail our efforts. America must stand firm with the 
Iraqis and see that this danger is defeated and freedom prevails.
  Last January, the world watched as Iraqis voted for a new government. 
Rejecting intimidation and embracing the foundations of freedom, 8.5 
million Iraqis went to the polls to vote in a free national election. 
Just last month, Iraqis returned to the polls once again for a 
referendum on a new constitution. This time, we saw significantly fewer 
insurgent attacks, with nearly 9.8 million Iraqis voting, and 79 
percent supporting the approval of the new constitution. Iraqis have 
shown great courage by participating in the democratic process. They 
have walked for miles to the polls, stood in line for hours, and 
literally put their lives on the line to cast a vote for peace. Eighty-
three-year-old Qadir Abdullah, seen here, made his way to the polls--on 
crutches. He said, ``I wish I were young. This is the first time in my 
life that I've voted freely in Iraq. When I was young, there were 
always wars and misery.'' After decades of tragedy, there is a new 
optimism, as shown by the willingness of Iraqis to step forward and 
vote for a brighter future. And the success of the referendum indeed is 
a powerful milestone on Iraq's road to democracy.
  In another sign of progress toward democracy, the Sunnis, who in 
large measure refused to even participate in the January elections, 
turned out in great numbers to vote in the constitutional referendum, 
exercising their right to engage in the democratic process. And in 
recent weeks, three major Sunni political groups have united to 
participate in the December 15 elections, in which Iraqis will elect a 
new national assembly to pass legislation and implement the 
constitution.
  And Iraq has seen tremendous progress toward freedom in the new 
public services, infrastructure, free press, economic activity, and 
legal institutions that are critical to the longterm success of this 
democracy.
  Over 3,400 public schools have been built; Hundreds of water and 
sewage projects, 149 new health facilities, and over 250 fire and 
police stations have been completed.
  Before the war, Iraq's media was tightly controlled by Saddam 
Hussein's propaganda machine. The country had no commercial TV or radio 
stations, and no independent newspapers or magazines. Today, Iraq has a 
thriving, competitive, free press, with 44 commercial TV stations, 72 
commercial radio stations, and more than 100 independent newspapers and 
magazines. Iraqis can now make up their own minds, based on varying 
viewpoints in a marketplace of ideas, about the future of their new 
democracy.
  And another foundation of freedom is taking hold--Iraq is 
experiencing the beginnings of a competitive financial market, with a 
modernized Iraqi stock exchange.
  And Iraqis are for the first time experiencing the rule of law at 
work in their legal system, with an independent judiciary free to judge 
cases on

[[Page 26065]]

their merits, not under the orders of Saddam Hussein and his henchmen.
  Ever more, Iraqis are seeing the insurgents for the thugs, thieves, 
and indiscriminate killers that they are. In just the past nine months, 
there has been an astonishing 500 percent increase in the number of 
tips regarding insurgents that Iraqi civilians are providing to 
security forces.
  Iraq is the central battleground in the war on terror. And yet 
despite the evident progress, some want to cut and run. They claim that 
our troops have simply done all that they can do, and that the United 
States should set arbitrary timelines for withdrawing our forces. Mr. 
President, I strongly disagree and believe that setting such a timeline 
would only embolden the terrorists and send the message that the United 
States has lost its resolve in the war on terror. This is the wrong 
message. Any timeline for withdrawal must be driven by success--not 
artificially tied to a calendar.
  This is not the first time in our history when cynics and skeptics 
have balked in the face of landmark challenges. A few years may have 
passed since I had the pleasure of serving President Ronald Reagan in 
his Cabinet, but I can still remember the naysayers attacking him for 
his fixed resolve in fighting the cold war. They questioned President 
Reagan's reasoning, they questioned his strategy, and they questioned 
America's chances of coming away victorious in a battle to free Russia 
and other countries from the grasp of communism. President Reagan 
rejected communism, he rejected the iron curtain, and he refused to 
concede that freedom would not prevail. While the Soviet Union was 
extending its influence and doctrine throughout the world, President 
Reagan, in the face of severe criticism, pursued a different vision. He 
knew that the enemy must be defeated, not tolerated. We now know he was 
right in his actions to bring an end to communism--millions were freed 
and that global threat no longer exists.
  Today, naysayers are at it again. Their droning doubt is all too 
familiar. Much of this defeatist criticism is being leveled by the very 
same people who, having access to the same intelligence as the 
president, agreed that Iraq posed a real and immediate threat. And 
these very same people supported going into Iraq to fight the war on 
terror. Now they want to throw up their hands and walk away before the 
job is done.
  No one ever said this would be easy, and mistakes have certainly been 
made. This is a war--and it is painful and horrific. Every life lost is 
one tragic loss too many. But we must ensure that their sacrifice was 
not in vain.
  We must honor our fallen heroes, heroes like Major Jeffrey 
Toczylowski, by completing the job they set out to do. Major 
Toczylowski, seen here, was a Special Forces detachment commander 
assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group. Two weeks ago in Anbar 
province, he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. In his last 
email home to his family and friends, he wrote how they should respond 
if he were to lose his life in battle: And I quote:

       Don't ever think that you are defending me by slamming the 
     global war on terrorism or the U.S. goals in that war. As far 
     as I am concerned, we can send guys like me to go after them, 
     or we can wait for them, to come back to us again. I died, 
     doing something I believed in and have no regrets, except 
     that I couldn't do more.

  What a powerful testament to the commitment of our service members 
fighting the war on terror.
  Just yesterday, we debated an amendment to the Defense authorization 
bill that would have forced the administration to set an arbitrary date 
for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. I am pleased the Senate rejected 
this proposal. The Frist-Warner amendment we accepted--79-19--sent a 
message--a forward-looking message--that we expect the Iraqis to 
continue their progress--and the Congress, in its oversight, will 
continue to receive reports on the progress being made. The timeline we 
should focus on is December l5 the election of a parliamentary 
government. The establishment of a constitutional democracy, coupled 
with the continued training of Iraqi security forces--now exceeding 
210,000 personnel--will in time allow the Iraqis to defend themselves, 
and the United States to bring our troop levels down.
  Around the country, Iraqi forces are now overseeing 72 percent of 
security checkpoints and leading 43 percent of all combat patrols. Two 
Iraqi brigades have been assigned their own battle space in Baghdad in 
an area once a haven for insurgents.
  Freedom and democracy in Iraq are the terrorists' worst nightmare. 
They know what is at stake and try desperately to derail our success. 
In a letter intercepted last month from Bin Laden's deputy Zawahiri to 
al-Qaida's leader in Iraq--the terror network's plan was exposed: to 
expel the Americans from Iraq, establish radical Islamist authority in 
the country, and extend the terrorists' jihad into neighboring 
countries and around the world. They seek to destroy our very way of 
life. We cannot cut and run--we know all too well what is at stake in 
this global war against terror. To our men and women in uniform who are 
protecting our freedom and our security, I say thank you and God bless 
you. You make us so very proud.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming is recognized.

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