[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7202]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




STATEMENT ON DISCHARGE PETITION ON H.J. RES. 55, THE WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. 
                  FORCES FROM IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2006

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the discharge 
petition for H.J. Res. 55 not because I support the substance of the 
underlying resolution, but because I believe a full and open debate of 
our Iraq policy on the floor of this House is long overdue.
  I believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. It has diverted 
resources from the fight against Osama bin Laden and those who attacked 
our country on September 11, 2001. It has fueled al Qaeda with fresh 
recruits and inflamed anti-American sentiment around the world. It has 
resulted in the loss of the lives of thousands of American soldiers and 
tens of thousands of Iraqis. It has cost the American taxpayer hundreds 
of billions of dollars. It has made us less, not more, secure.
  From the outset I have been an outspoken opponent of the Bush 
administration's decision to go to war in Iraq. I argued strongly that 
the United States should support the request of the United Nations' 
weapons inspectors for additional time to complete their mission. The 
Bush administration spurned that request. We know the result--the 
primary justification given for going to war in Iraq, namely the 
alleged existence of stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and the 
alleged collaboration between the government of Iraq and al Qaeda, 
proved to be false.
  Many of us warned repeatedly that invading Iraq would open Pandora's 
box and unleash forces and historic rivalries that we would not be able 
to control. The rising sectarian conflict, the insurgency and the 
brutal executions carried out by militias were foreseeable. The total 
failure of the administration to plan for the aftermath of the invasion 
made what was certain to be a bad situation even worse.
  We went to war in Iraq in an irresponsible manner; we should leave 
Iraq in a responsible way. Having invaded Iraq, we have both a moral 
and national security obligation to do everything possible to prevent 
the situation and sectarian conflict from spiraling even farther out of 
control. We must devise a plan to leave Iraq in a way that maximizes 
the chances for stability and minimizes the possibility for the 
eruption of a full scale civil war with even more bloodletting than 
there is today. We must leave Iraq in a way that does not allow al 
Qaeda--which did not have a base in Iraq before the war--to develop a 
stronghold there. We must not compound the blunders of the Bush 
administration by creating the conditions for even more bloodshed in 
Iraq and allowing it to become a launching pad for terrorist 
activities. That is why I have not supported proposals that set a date 
certain for the total withdrawal of all American forces from Iraq. I 
believe such well-intentioned legislation, like H.J. Res. 55, would 
have the unintended consequence of accelerating a budding civil war and 
strengthening the hands of those who would like to see Iraq plunged 
into even greater chaos and bloodshed.
  While I do not support H.J. Res. 55 in its current form, I believe 
the Congress must have a serious and full debate on our strategy for 
bringing our troops home. Since the President declared ``Mission 
Accomplished'' in April 2003, we have seen more death and destruction 
in Iraq. The administration's efforts to achieve a political solution 
have been grossly inadequate. This House was wrong to give the 
President a blank check to go to war in Iraq. It now must fulfill its 
obligation to bring our troops home in a responsible manner. Let us 
honor our troops by having a serious debate. That is why I am signing 
the discharge petition for H.J. Res. 55.

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