[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23543-23544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        LISTEN TO ALL THE FACTS

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, Congress will soon hear 
from members of our military as well as civilian advisers about 
progress in Iraq. Yesterday, the General Accounting Office released its 
report. This one report tells only a partial account. We should base 
decision-making on complete information from our military leaders.
  The GAO report does not assess progress being made on the ground, 
progress our military commanders have indicated is occurring. The 
benchmarks outlined in the report are laudable goals, assessed by 
dedicated officials. Developing democracy to protect American families 
takes time, as we learned in Germany and Japan. It took America 13 
years to adopt our Constitution.
  Next week, we will receive a report from our top commander in the 
field, GEN David Petraeus, and our top diplomat, Ambassador Ryan 
Crocker. We should remain open and receptive to what these 
professionals have to say. We must protect American families by making 
difficult but informed decisions.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th.

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