[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 20]
[House]
[Page 27768]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HOWARD DEAN'S COMMENTS ON IRAQ

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean has 
taken his party's irresponsible rhetoric about our involvement in Iraq 
to a new low. In an interview earlier this week Mr. Dean said, ``The 
idea that we are going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just 
plain wrong.''
  Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than his scream in Iowa. 
What does Mr. Dean think it does for the morale of our troops on the 
ground in Iraq when they hear the leader of one of their Nation's two 
major political parties say that he does not believe that they can get 
the job done.
  Mr. Dean may not believe that our troops are up to the task in Iraq, 
but I and the overwhelming majority of my colleagues do. It is 
important our troops understand that. Our troops have freed 26 million 
Iraqis from the grip of a brutal and murderous dictator, set the stage 
for democratic elections in a country where this was once thought 
impossible.
  Make no mistake, if the war against terrorism is lost, it will not be 
lost by our magnificent troops on the battlefield. It will be lost 
right here at home by politicians who lose their resolve.

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