[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17254-17255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I would like to say a word about the 
remarks just made by my colleague from Indiana, Senator Lugar. It has 
been my honor to serve with Senator Lugar now for 11 years. I count him 
as a friend, as a valued colleague, as a neighbor in the Midwest.
  I believe the speech which he has just made on the floor of the 
Senate is in the finest tradition of the Senate, like its author. 
Senator Lugar's speech was thoughtful, thorough, and honest. It was a 
challenge to all of us on both sides of the aisle, Democrat and 
Republican alike: To step back from the debate on Iraq, take an 
inventory of where we are, make an honest appraisal, and move forward.
  I think it is a challenge to all Senators. I am sorry it was 
delivered at the time of night when few of our colleagues were here, 
but if we are fortunate some followed it on C-SPAN as Senator Lugar 
presented it.
  I made notes during the course of the speech. I am sure I have missed 
some valuable and important things that Senator Lugar said, but I will 
just tell you that I do not disagree with his conclusion. I believe, as 
he does, that the factionalism in Iraq has reached catastrophic 
proportions, that it is doubtful they will be able to patch together in 
the near term the goverment which we had hoped for.
  I agree with Senator Lugar completely about the fatigue of our 
military. We have the greatest military in the world, the best and 
bravest, not only in Indianapolis but in Springfield, IL, and all 
across the Nation. We are so proud of these men and women and what they 
fight for and the representation of our great Nation.
  I think Senator Lugar hit the nail on the head when he said the 
strongest fighting force in the world is not indestructible. We are 
pushing them to the absolute limit, and that is a reality.
  His third point about the timetable of our debate is a valuable one. 
Some wonder if there are members of the administration who are waiting 
for the clock to run out, the day to come when they leave Washington to 
turn this issue over to another. That would be a serious mistake, 
because in the meantime we know that American lives will be lost and 
opportunities may be squandered.
  That point was made very effectively by Senator Lugar this evening. I 
made some notes of things he said that I believe summarize our 
situation so effectively. He said that a course change

[[Page 17255]]

should happen now. He called for a sustainable, bipartisan strategy in 
dealing with Iraq. He called for a rational course adjustment that must 
be initiated very soon. He said that far more important than just Iraq 
are our Middle Eastern goals that are languishing because of our 
current strategy.
  I could not agree with him more on the four points he set out as our 
Middle Eastern objectives to keep Iraq from becoming a terrorist haven, 
to stop Iraq from spreading instability into the region, to prevent 
Iranian dominance of the region, and to limit the loss of U.S. 
credibility in the region as a result of this war.
  I think he is correct in his analysis. He said that the current surge 
strategy is not effective. He believes, as I do, at this moment in time 
total withdrawal is not consistent with our regional goals. I want to 
bring American troops home as quickly as possible, as many as possible.
  We have said from the beginning on the Democratic side that there are 
certain responsibilities we must still accept in that region: To stop 
the spread of al-Qaida terrorism, to make certain the Iraqis, as best 
we can, are prepared to fight this battle, and to protect our own 
forces during the withdrawal.
  He called for downsizing to more sustainable positions, to put our 
troops in a position where they can respond if necessary. He called for 
attempts to end imposing our forces between sectarian warring factions. 
That, I believe, is our highest priority. To think that our men and 
women in uniform are now caught in the crossfire of a civil war with 
its origins 14 centuries ago in a sectarian battle is just 
unacceptable.
  He said the longer we delay plans for redeployment, the less likely 
it will be successful. I could not agree with him more. He called for a 
tactical drawdown of U.S. troops to make diplomatic efforts more likely 
to succeed.
  I agree with Senator Lugar when he said we are running out of time; 
we have to move the Iraqi policy between the politics of the moment. He 
said the administration and Congress must suspend knee-jerk political 
combat over Iraq.
  Forty years ago as a law school student, I came and sat in that 
gallery in a chair and watched as Senator Robert Kennedy came to the 
floor to give a speech on Vietnam. He walked through those doors with 
his brother, Senator Ted Kennedy. Their families were in the gallery. 
He stood on this floor, again, in the evening hours after most Senators 
had gone home. He spoke about bringing the war in Vietnam to a close. 
It was an important speech in the history of our Nation and certainly 
in the history of the Senate, and I think it made a difference. I 
believe the speech that was given tonight by my colleague from Indiana, 
Republican Senator Richard Lugar, is that kind of speech. I think it is 
the starting point for a meaningful debate, a debate which looks at the 
Middle East in a new context and in a realistic context, and realizes 
that it is time to change direction in our course in Iraq.
  I salute my colleague. I hope every Member of the Senate tomorrow 
will ask for a copy of the speech from the Congressional Record, read 
it carefully, and then come to this floor when we return after the 
Fourth of July break and begin our debate over the Defense 
authorization bill, and realize that during the course of that debate 
we can reach across the aisle on a bipartisan basis and make a 
difference.
  I thank Senator Lugar for his contribution to this most important 
issue which challenges us today.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.

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