[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1730
                         FAILED POLICY IN IRAQ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Wynn) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WYNN. Good evening, Madam Speaker. To varying degrees, Americans 
realize that it's time to end this war. You hear frustration; you see 
almost rabid anger. Americans understand we have a failed policy in 
Iraq. It's not working. 3,600 American troops have been killed; 2,700 
U.S. troops have been wounded; 50,000 Iraqis have been killed. This 
administration is pursuing a failed foreign and military policy.
  Now, let me be quick to note: This doesn't mean that our military has 
failed. Our military has in fact performed very admirably. They have 
done so despite the inept management of this administration, which has 
failed to provide them with the adequate armor that they need. Yet our 
military has fought on. But, again, it is the wrong policy.
  First of all, we need to redefine our notions of winning and losing. 
This is the wrong war, it is in the wrong place, and it is being, as I 
indicated earlier, handled in the wrong way.
  A lot of people are afraid to pull our troops out because they will 
say we will have lost. No, we will not have lost. We will have been 
pursuing the wrong policy. It is almost like the British redcoats 
facing the U.S. revolutionaries in the American Revolutionary War. They 
were fighting in the wrong way. We are doing the same thing. We have to 
face the facts.
  Supporters of the war are also saying look, we can't get out because 
the result will be a catastrophe. Note to the administration: It is 
already a catastrophe. What we need to do is change direction, with the 
hope that we can actually fight a war on terrorism and save American 
lives.
  We can't continue to try to mediate Iraq's civil war. It is time to 
redeploy our troops, to bring them back home. We have in fact a civil 
war in Iraq. Both sides dislike our military presence. Iraqi insurgents 
are willing to kill themselves and become martyrs for their cause. We 
don't really understand this phenomenon. How can you beat an enemy that 
is willing to kill himself before you do? It doesn't work.
  This is not a war in which killing more insurgents will result in 
``victory.'' In fact, the National Intelligence Estimates indicate that 
our presence in Iraq is counterproductive. Iraq has more insurgents 
now, more militants, more terrorists, more jihadists, if you will, 
today than they did when we deposed Saddam Hussein. Iraq has become a 
haven for terrorists, and our military engagement is not reducing the 
number of insurgents. They are increasing.
  Our continued presence in Iraq, more than 4 years, leads many Iraqis 
to the perception that what we really want to do is control their oil 
resources. This perception undermines any attempt to promote freedom 
and democracy. They think we just want the oil.
  We have done one good thing through this Congress. We passed a 
resolution in this House that says we will have no permanent bases. 
That is the type of message we need to be sending, that we are not 
there to control your country. But what should we do in the overall 
battle against terrorism and in Iraq?
  First of all, how about some diplomacy? Why is diplomacy always last? 
From Korea to Iran, here is what we do. We call them names first, and 
then we, finally, years later, say, well, maybe we ought to talk. Let's 
try talking first.
  It is time this administration took diplomatic engagement to a higher 
level around the world. We need to take it seriously. We need to 
abandon this go-it-alone policy.
  How about supporting Muslim efforts to promote peace? I think there 
are countries in the region, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, who 
have a vested interest in promoting peace. Let's give them a chance to 
promote peace. They have the greatest stake in having a peaceful 
region. There are also international religious leaders who could 
perhaps mediate a peace. What we do know is that the United States 
lacks the credibility to promote peace or mediate peace in this region.
  Let's turn to the U.N. Why don't we ask the U.N. to promote a peace 
process in Iraq while we pull our troops out? We need a permanent 
United Nations emergency peace force. I have introduced such a bill. A 
permanent U.N. entity that would work in these areas of conflict, both 
in Iraq, in the Middle East, in Africa, the Sudan, Chad, and on and on. 
We can use the UN as a vehicle to promote peace and save the lives of 
American men and women who are in the Army and in our military.
  Also we need to introduce the concept of humanitarian aid. Now, we do 
some, it is true, but how about leading with diplomacy and humanitarian 
aid? Put a new face on America's foreign policy. More humanitarian aid, 
building schools and building hospitals, says to the world that 
Americans really want to be your friend, as opposed to troops beating 
down your door, going door-to-door.
  We also need to keep in mind, although we withdraw our troops, we 
have not abandoned Iraq. We need to continue to support reconstruction 
aid. But let me be quick to add, we need reconstruction aid with a lot 
more congressional oversight. This idea that Halliburton and other 
companies are just making billions and billions in profits and we don't 
see anything coming up from the ground in Iraq is unsatisfactory. We 
need humanitarian aid, we need reconstruction aid, we need 
congressional oversight to go with it.
  In conclusion, we really need to spend our money more wisely to fight 
the real threat that we have. We know the threat is not in Iraq, the 
threat is in Afghanistan. What should we do?
  First of all, we need greater emphasis on intelligence, to break up 
these small cells. The attacks we have seen in Britain and elsewhere 
are done by small cells. We need to interrupt weapons transfers, 
because that is what is causing the problem. We also need to interrupt 
these terrorist camps. We need to use our Special Forces intelligently 
to fight the real war that we have.
  Bring our troops home, initiate diplomacy, humanitarian aid, 
reconstructive aid. We need a sound foreign policy. We don't have it 
with this administration. But with this Congress continuing to press 
the fight, we are going to have it.

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