[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17265-17266]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Mr. REID. Madam President, yesterday the U.S. Conference of Mayors 
highlighted the toll of the Iraq war, the toll it is taking on our 
health, safety, and well-being here at home, by voting for a resolution 
to bring the war to a responsible end. Stanford, CT, Mayor Dan Malloy 
said the war has drained desperately needed funds from classrooms and 
municipal services. David Cicilline, Mayor of Providence, RI, said:

       Continued U.S. military presence in Iraq is resulting in 
     the tragic loss of American lives and wounding of American 
     soldiers . . . reducing federal funds for needed domestic 
     investments in education, health care, public safety, 
     homeland security and more.

  The mayors understand this as much as any other political body in the 
country. They are the ones who are seeing that desperately needed funds 
are not going to projects they believe are so important to their 
constituents, the people who live within those cities, because the 
money is going at the rate of $10 billion a month to Iraq. I appreciate 
the Conference of Mayors for taking the important stand they did.
  Finally, last evening, just before the Senate went out, Richard 
Lugar, former chairman of the Agriculture Committee, the Foreign 
Relations Committee, and ranking member on the Foreign Relations 
Committee today, made a very important speech, one of the most 
important speeches we have had in the Senate in a long time. He is a 
soft-spoken man and doesn't really talk a lot. He is a Rhodes scholar, 
a brilliant man, an academic with experience, prior to coming here, as 
mayor of one of the major cities in America. I appreciate what he did 
last night, what he said last night. On foreign policy, he has the 
credentials to speak.
  Yesterday, he gave voice to the growing sentiment among his 
Republican colleagues that we must change course in Iraq and change 
now--not in September but now. Senator Lugar said:

       Persisting indefinitely with the surge strategy will delay 
     policy adjustments that have a better chance of protecting 
     our vital interests over the long term.

  I recommend and suggest to all Senators, Democrats and Republicans, 
that they read the brilliant speech given by Dick Lugar last night. It 
was very good. It was, I am sure, prepared by him, every word. I 
understand it is not easy to speak out against the war. I can vouch for 
that. I also recognize how difficult it is for Republicans to speak out 
against the war. It has been hard enough for this Democrat to speak out 
against the war. Senator Lugar's comments and those of a handful of 
other Republicans who share his view--to this point, two have said so 
publicly--takes real courage. Courage is the only way we will change 
course in Iraq.
  Some floor speeches go unnoticed. Most floor speeches go unnoticed. 
Senator Richard Lugar's speech last night is not one of them. When this 
war comes to an end--and it will come to an end--and the history books 
are written--and they will be written--Senator Lugar's words yesterday 
could be remembered as a turning point in this intractable civil war in 
Iraq. But that will depend on whether more Republicans take the stand 
Senator Lugar took, a courageous stand, last night.
  I look forward to working with Senator Lugar--and hope and believe a 
growing number of Republicans--to put his words into action by 
delivering a responsible end to the war that the

[[Page 17266]]

American people demand and the American people deserve.

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