[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19132]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TROOP WITHDRAWAL STRATEGY

  (Mr. SESTAK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SESTAK. Mr. Speaker, ending this tragic misadventure in Iraq is 
necessary but insufficient. How and the means by which we end it is of 
even greater importance, both to the safety of our troops and to our 
overall strategic security.
  First, our troops. It took us 6 months to extract 6,000 troops out of 
Somalia after Blackhawk Down, and we inserted 17,000 personnel to guard 
the retreat. We have not only 160,000 troops in Iraq, but over 100,000 
civilians. We must ensure their safety, and that will take 
approximately 1 year.
  Second, that time line of a year is actually the change in strategy 
that will ensure that we have an aftermath, if we pursue diplomacy with 
Iran and Syria, to bring about an unfailed state. Recently the 
intelligence community said Iran does not want a failed government. 
Therefore, we must approach the end of this war with a strategic 
approach working with the Republicans. This is our country's war, 
because the aftermath of its consequences are so great and it requires 
a strategic end.

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