[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 15818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1915
                       GRAVE CONCERNS ABOUT IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Boustany). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise with grave concerns about 
the situation in Iraq.
  As I indicated during a Special Order organized last week by the 
gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Larson, I believe the war in Iraq is 
the centerpiece of the administration's failed foreign policies. The 
war in Iraq has proven to be a diversion from what should be our 
primary foreign policy focus, winning the global war on terror. Our 
preoccupation with Iraq is decimating our Armed Forces, who now find 
themselves entrenched in a civil war where they do not belong.
  The administration's failure to measure progress in Iraq is matched 
by its broader foreign policy failures. North Korea and Iran present 
greater risks to our safety and security than they did when the 
President identified them as the ``axis of evil'' in his 2002 State of 
the Union address.
  Today, the situation in Iraq is a tragedy, for America, for our brave 
troops in uniform, for the future of our Nation, and for the prospect 
of Middle East peace which fades every day we stay in Iraq and as the 
violence between Israel and Hezbollah continues.
  Although 2006 was supposed to be a ``year of significant transition'' 
pursuant to last year's defense authorization law, we are no closer to 
finishing the year with any measure of positive transition than we were 
when the year started.
  I call my colleagues' attention to a new book by Thomas Ricks, the 
Washington Post reporter who appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday, to 
discuss ``Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq.'' As Mr. 
Ricks explained, the administration's foresight and planning was as 
poor as its conduct of the post-war period. It is why, 3\1/2\ years 
later, we are is still paying the price for such negligence, and why 
2006 is not on track to be the year of significant transition that not 
only had we hoped for, but that we simply must have.
  Halfway through the year, these statistics show that we are moving 
backwards, away from our goal of handing Iraq over to a safe, secure 
and stable democracy. There were 3,149 civilians deaths in the month of 
June. That is up from 1,978 civilian deaths in January. For the year, 
more than 14,000 Iraqi civilians have died. That is an average of 2,400 
a month. Another way of looking at that is every 5 weeks, Iraqi 
civilians die in the number that we lost on September 11.
  The overwhelming majority of deaths have occurred in and around 
Baghdad. If the Iraqi police and army can't provide security, is it any 
wonder that the Iraqi people have turned to the militias? That is not a 
measure of progress in any year, but particularly in a year of 
transition, that would be a turn for the worse.
  Every day focusing on combating sectarian violence is another day and 
another dollar we divert from what should be our priorities, increasing 
oil production, rebuilding infrastructure, promoting more dialogue 
between Sunnis and Shia and developing a long-term political solution 
for a stable, lasting democracy.
  The Iraqi leadership isn't showing much progress either, particularly 
following remarks by Prime Minister al-Malaki and Speaker al-
Mashhadani, who both openly condemned Israel in recent weeks.
  Combined with the fact that nearly 50 percent of Iraqis support 
attacking our troops, Iraq is no closer to what the neo-conservatives 
envisioned as a partner for Israel who would catalyze change and bring 
about stability in the Middle East.
  When the prime minister addresses a joint session of Congress 
tomorrow morning, I would hope he says the following: First and 
foremost, that Iraq is indebted to America for the sacrifice of 2,500 
of its sons and daughters. Second, that he regrets and retracts his 
comments about Israel. Third, that he is committed to routing 
terrorists, sectarian violence and corruption and disarming the 
sectarian militias. Fourth, that his government will honor the rights 
of ethnic and minority constituencies by revisiting divisive sections 
of Iraq's constitution.
  Still, Mr. Speaker, it will take much more to accomplish the long-
term political goals necessary to restore stability, liberty and 
democracy, not only in Iraq, but to a region suffering under the strain 
of so much violence and uncertainty. But we have a long way to go. 
Reaching our objectives will be further down that path as a result of 
the administration's failure in the pre-invasion planning and the 
conduct of the post-war period.
  The tragedy of Iraq is perhaps the most solemn and vivid reminder of 
why a change in leadership is long overdue, and why America deserves a 
new direction in its foreign policy.

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