[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23455]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       ILLUSORY PROGRESS 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, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday, I had the 
unfortunate occasion to attend the funeral of Sergeant Princess 
Samuels, age 22, a graduate of Flowers High School in my district and 
one of the most recent casualties of our misadventure in Iraq.
  I rise today to comment on what I consider to be a failed policy in 
Iraq, because she is only one of over 3,700 American soldiers who have 
been killed in Iraq. Meanwhile, 27,000 U.S. troops have been wounded in 
action, 12,000 of whom will not be able to return to action, and 
although we don't comment on it often, at least 50,000 Iraqis have been 
killed; 18,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in August alone.
  It was very sad to be with the family of Sergeant Princess Samuels. 
Her mother, in an understandable note of bitterness, said that here she 
found herself prepared for a funeral while the Commander in Chief was 
preparing for a wedding for his daughter. Her anger was certainly 
understandable, and our sympathies and those of all us in the Fourth 
Congressional District go out to Ms. Samuels.
  So I find it very unfortunate that we begin to hear comments such as 
``the surge is working'' and that we need to ``stay the course.'' This 
is the wrong course. This is the wrong course. We need to stay engaged, 
but we need to move away from this military course.
  Our troops have fought valiantly and they have done everything we 
have asked of them. They have done more. But, right now, the GAO report 
tells us that the strategy is flawed. You see, the strategy was to have 
a surge that would allow this government some breathing room, and in 
that breathing room they would have a reconciliation and begin to bring 
the various sectarian groups in Iraq together.
  What we found from the GAO report is that that hasn't happened. The 
surge has only provided the illusion of progress. That is, if you put 
more troops in, you will reduce the casualties among those troops. But 
the fact is, the overall level of violence continues to be very high. 
The number of Iraqis killed remains about the same.
  Now, last January the President laid out some benchmarks. He said 
that these ought to be completed, and this is why we are having the 
surge. The GAO report says only three of the 18 benchmarks have been 
met. Do the math: that means 15 have not been met.
  These are not benchmarks that U.S. troops, no matter how valiant, can 
achieve. These are political benchmarks that this Iraqi Government has 
failed to achieve. The number of daily attacks over the last 6 months 
is about the same. In fact, the number of Iraqi army units capable of 
independent operation has actually decreased. And what we find is 
insurgents frequently work with the Iraqi police and military forces 
based on common sectarian ties.
  There is an interesting article in The Washington Post today. Our 
U.S. troops are pinned down in a section of west Baghdad and they are 
calling for relief from Iraqi troops. The relief did not come. Why? 
Because the Iraqi troops were in league with the Shiite militia in that 
area and they did not respond. Fortunately, our American troops were 
able to reach cover and survive, but the story illustrates another 
failure that is occurring in Iraq as the so-called security forces that 
we are trying to prop up were in fact working with our enemies. The 
policy is not working.
  We can't continue this policy. We need a new direction. We need to 
look to diplomacy as a way to resolve this problem. People say, well, 
if we withdraw U.S. troops, there is going to be a blood bath. There is 
a bloodbath now.
  The fact of the matter is if U.S. troops withdraw, one of the major 
catalysts for violence will be removed from the situation. We will then 
be in a position to support diplomatic efforts, peace initiatives by 
Muslim countries, by the U.N., by internationally recognized military 
leaders. Sometimes this country has an arrogance and believes that we 
are the only ones that can promote peace. I disagree. I believe that 
other countries, Muslim countries, other people can also promote peace. 
And I also believe that they want peace, and given supportive 
conditions, they can in fact create peace.
  I think we have to accept the fact that the surge gives an illusion 
of success, but the overall policy has not worked, because the GAO 
reported the benchmarks haven't been met, and it is time to move in a 
new direction. I also noted today the British, our allies in this 
adventure, have already begun to leave Basra, leaving the cities in the 
hands of the Iraqi security.
  The point is, everyone but this administration realizes we need a new 
direction. I hope the administration will look at the GAO report and 
conclude, as it has, that this policy is a failure and that we need a 
new policy in Iraq.

                          ____________________