[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 18234-18235]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  PRESIDENT'S ATTEMPTS TO CONNECT IRAQ WITH THE OVERALL WAR ON TERROR

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, President Bush continues to say that one of the 
most difficult parts of his job is trying to connect the war in Iraq 
with the overall war on terror, but I tell you it is a difficult job 
because it is clear there is no connection between the war in Iraq and 
the overall global war on terror.
  Just this past week, a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee 
report

[[Page 18235]]

concluded that there was no link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. 
In fact, the Senators wrote that Saddam, ``only expressed negative 
sentiments about Osama bin Laden.''
  And yet, President Bush continues to contend that our Nation's safety 
depends on what happens on the streets of Baghdad. With all due 
respect, this is just not the case.
  The President is trying to convince the American people that al Qaeda 
is responsible for all of the violence in Iraq. In reality, the overall 
majority of the violence today comes from the growing sectarian 
divisions between the Sunnis and the Shias, a civil war which some of 
us believe has begun.
  From day one, the Iraq war diverted the Bush administration's 
attention from those who attacked us on 9/11. Today, Osama bin Laden is 
still at large, and the Taliban is alive and well in Afghanistan.
  It is time for the President to focus his attention on those 
responsible for the horrific 9/11 attacks 5 years ago.

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