[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15310]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     LET'S BRING OUR SOLDIERS HOME

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, earlier today I made mention 
of an interesting new theory that is being promoted through the 
Nation's newspapers, and, certainly, let me acknowledge the respect 
that we have in this Congress for the United States military and their 
never-ending challenge and acceptance of responsibility in their work 
in Iraq and certainly, of course, Afghanistan.
  We know that both of those regions are becoming more difficult. In 
Afghanistan, the Taliban is rising, and, frankly, just recently, there 
was an attempted assassination attack on President Karzai in 
Afghanistan with a message from the Taliban saying that ``We were 
involved'' and, in essence, ``We are on the rise.''
  In fact, that is where the root of terror is. After 9/11, that is 
where this Congress almost unanimously instructed the President on 
behalf of the American people to fight the war on terror, to fight al 
Qaeda, and to find Osama bin Laden. Unfortunately, this administration 
has failed, failed its duty to this Nation, and not represented itself 
to the American people and to this Congress as to what its next steps 
are with respect to fighting terror.
  Now we find ourselves muddling around in Iraq, we are almost to the 
middle of June, and almost 30 Americans have died in Iraq. This is an 
unending mission without a mission, an unending story without an end.
  Now we read in the Nation's newspaper America's strategy in Iraq to 
arm the Sunnis. But at the same time as we arm the Sunnis, we are in 
negotiations with them to promise us that they will not shoot American 
soldiers.
  I believe that this may be a reasonable response to arm Sunnis to 
fight al Qaeda, to arm Sunnis to engage with the Iraqi National Army. 
But it is not a reasonable response with American soldiers sitting in 
the line of fire.
  Again, I say, having visited with my constituents over the weekend, 
having visited with constituents in churches and grocery stores, in 
meetings, in civic meetings, everywhere I go, in religious institutions 
or houses of faith, everywhere I go in my congressional district, 
people are asking the singular question. That is, when are our soldiers 
going to come home from Iraq?
  When I get the loudest applause is when I say that this Congress must 
bring our soldiers home, and that it is my intention to work with every 
Member of Congress who is willing to stand up to ensure that our 
soldiers come home, not because of our job has not been completed, not 
because our soldiers are not strong, not because our soldiers are 
wimps, but because, in fact, our soldiers are heroes.
  I believe, as in my legislation H.R. 930, that we should bring them 
home under a military success. They have done their job. They have 
deposed Saddam Hussein. They have discovered that there were no weapons 
of mass destruction. They have finished the mission.
  We should declare a military victory for those soldiers and those who 
lost their lives and begin to transfer the leadership of the efforts in 
Iraq to the Iraqi national Army and the Iraqi national police. I cannot 
understand this theory, this particular strategy, when our soldiers are 
still on the ground. All I can see is armed Sunnis, armed al Qaeda, 
armed Shiites, all pointing guns at our soldiers, who are there, 
simply, to follow the mission of a President who will not listen.
  I am interested in military strategy. I want our military generals to 
be creative. If they believe that this is an effective tool, then this 
tool must be utilized without our soldiers, in essence, if I might say, 
without any disrespect, to be shooting targets or sitting ducks.
  This does not seem to be the right kind of approach if our soldiers 
are still going to be in the midst. Even if they relocate the soldiers 
out of the particular area, they are still on the ground. Armed Sunnis 
are armed Sunnis. Armed Sunnis and armed Shiites move around. They 
don't necessarily have to stay in one area.
  I expect that we will have a briefing tomorrow. I hope that they will 
discuss with us, the Members of Congress, on behalf of their 
constituents, what does this mean for the lives of our soldiers? What 
does this mean for the number of those who have lost their lives 
already and their brothers and sisters may now be in the greater line 
of fire with people being armed, and armed with what?
  What level of weaponry will they have, and how far will this weaponry 
be able to go, and what will they be able to do with it? It is 
obviously a challenge.
  It is time to bring our soldiers home. If this is what we are doing, 
let's transfer the fight to the Iraqi national Army and the Iraqi 
police.
  Let's bring our soldiers home.

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