[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28785]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              STATEMENT ON REMOVING NAME FROM H.J. RES. 73

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 15, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I want to explain why I sought 
and obtained unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor 
of H.J. Res. 73, a resolution introduced by my friend and colleague 
Rep. Jack Murtha calling for the rapid withdrawal of American forces 
from Iraq.
  In short, my name was added in error. But I'd like to take this 
opportunity to explain why I cannot support Mr. Murtha's resolution at 
this time.
  Rep. Murtha's call for the rapid redeployment of U.S. forces carries 
significant weight in Congress because he is not only a decorated 
veteran, but also one of the most respected voices in our country on 
military and national security policy.
  Like Rep. Murtha, I believe the Bush administration has largely 
failed in Iraq because the civilian direction of the war has not 
matched the skill and sacrifice of our soldiers. Going to war the way 
we did was a strategic mistake, and the aftermath has been a failure 
because of the president's refusal to plan and refusal to listen.
  Unlike Mr. Murtha, I voted against the resolution authorizing the 
president to rush to war in the first place. I did so because I had 
concerns about the president's refusal to consider more aggressive 
inspections of WMD before going to war, his inability to secure greater 
international support, his obvious failure to develop a plan for 
securing peace after ousting Saddam, and his reckless disregard of 
experienced military advice.
  Although I was an outspoken opponent of going to war in Iraq, I have 
supported our brave soldiers because it has seemed to me that our 
national security is now linked, like it or not, to a credible plan for 
stabilizing Iraq and preventing a catastrophic civil war in the region.
  I remain concerned about setting an arbitrary date for withdrawal 
because how we leave is as important as when we leave. Nevertheless, 
Mr. Murtha's call, coupled with the evaporation of public confidence in 
the president's management of the war, should be a wake-up call to the 
president to develop a strategy that can garner bipartisan support and 
set an unmistakable path toward exiting Iraq expeditiously and with our 
interests and security intact.
  This country cannot have 535 commanders-in-chief. There can only be 
one commander-in-chief, and we need him to better explain his strategy 
and to be honest with the American people about the costs and timetable 
for executing that strategy.
  We were led into war as a divided nation and today we are even more 
divided. A successful outcome in Iraq can only be helped if Congress 
and the Bush Administration work to bring unity at home. In a hopeful 
sign, that kind of unity was on display when the Senate recently passed 
with overwhelming bipartisan support a resolution requiring 
accountability by the president in Iraq. The House should, at a 
minimum, do the same.

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