[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    3,000 REASONS TO WITHDRAW TROOPS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 5, 2007

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, New Year's Eve marked another grave 
milestone in Iraq, as the United States lost its 3,000th soldier since 
the war began. Attacks on our troops are increasing as civil war 
spreads. America lost more troops in Iraq in December than in any other 
month during the previous two years.
  As we honor the fallen, we must remember the daily life and death 
consequences of President Bush's policies. The time to begin 
withdrawing our troops from Iraq has long since passed. The longer we 
have stayed the course, the worse conditions in Iraq have become.
  November's elections were a mandate for change in Iraq. As more and 
more members of the President's own party deem the Administration's 
policy a failure, an overwhelming majority of Americans are calling on 
President Bush to draw down our troops from Iraq. It has become 
resoundingly clear that a military solution is not possible. Our troops 
were not trained for or sent to Iraq to referee a civil war. An 
extended American military presence will just continue to fuel the 
insurgency.
  The Republican co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, James Baker, warned 
that ``We no longer can afford to stay the course,'' and Lee Hamilton, 
the Democratic co-chair, agreed. ``The current approach is not working 
and the ability of the United States to influence events is 
diminishing. Our ship of state has hit rough waters. It must now chart 
a new way forward.'' Instead of continuing to stubbornly defend his 
administration's failed war strategies, the President must now work 
with Congress and foreign leaders to chart a diplomatic strategy that 
reduces the violence in Iraq.
  The President left the U.S. with no good options, but increasing the 
number of American servicemen and women in Iraq is an unacceptable 
course. The new Congress must use its authority to ensure that the 
calls of the American people do not fall on deaf ears.
  It will take many years for the U.S. to move beyond the setbacks we 
have suffered in Iraq. Our military is overstretched. Our diplomatic 
authority has been severely diminished. We have shifted our focus away 
from Afghanistan, and a resurgent Taliban is increasing its attacks on 
American troops.
  For those families whose sons and daughters died in the war, the 
wounds will never heal. Illinois is one of eight states that lost more 
than 100 troops in Iraq. From Rock Island to Champaign, from Skokie to 
Carbondale, more than 100 families have suffered the ultimate loss. It 
is time to change course.

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