[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 932]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ALLOW IRAQIS TO CONTROL THEIR FUTURE

  (Mr. KAGEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, we must begin to think differently in 
America, because the path we are on now is morally unacceptable. More 
than 3,000 brave Americans have perished in Iraq and more than 650,000 
Iraqi civilians are dead. President Bush's newest war proposal is not a 
complete and comprehensive plan, and more importantly, it is not based 
on realities on the ground and in the region.
  The President believes that 20,000 additional U.S. troops will change 
the outcome in Iraq. He was wrong to invade Iraq, and he is wrong now. 
Instead of decreasing the violence, last night's proposal will increase 
the risks to everyone in Iraq and the surrounding region, and it will 
not bring an end to the Iraqi civil war. Clearly it was bad judgment to 
have invaded Iraq. It will be even worse judgment to remain.
  Simply put, we do not belong in Iraq, and we are still headed in the 
wrong direction. We all support our troops, but we must not support the 
administration's policy of more of the same poor judgment. We must 
begin to withdraw our forces and allow the Iraqis to take control of 
their own future.

                          ____________________