[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17924]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  GENERAL PETRAEUS ADMITS THAT CONDITIONS WILL NOT IMPROVE IN IRAQ BY 
                               SEPTEMBER

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, conditions on the ground in Iraq are not 
getting any better. In fact, things are getting worse.
  During a 48-hour period last week, 14 of our soldiers were killed, 
and then over the weekend another eight were killed in one day. April 
and May were two of the most violent months for our troops since the 
beginning of the war. It is clear the President's troop surge or 
escalation plan is not working. In fact, last week General David 
Petraeus acknowledged there would not be any significant improvements 
in Iraq by September.
  Why is that significant? Because that's when President Bush said we 
would be able to see if the plan was working. The fact is we won't know 
in September because it's not working, according to the President's own 
general.
  Then this week, two respected Republican Senators, Senator Lugar and 
Senator Voinovich, said the current policy is not working and a 
significant change is needed. The comments of these Senators, coupled 
with those of General Petraeus, should serve as a wake-up call to 
congressional Republicans. Join us in ending this war, bringing our 
troops home, and saving America's face.

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