[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24908]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TIME FOR A REAL CHANGE AND DIRECTION IN IRAQ

  (Mr. PERLMUTTER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to encourage all of my 
colleagues in the House and the Senate to exercise the courage to begin 
a true new direction in Iraq.
  Our brave men and women serving in our military are completing every 
mission they have been asked; and for that I thank them and America 
thanks them. But the President keeps moving the goalposts and 
redefining the mission.
  Last week, the President announced a potential drawdown of troops 
from Iraq by July of 2008, leaving approximately 130,000 troops in 
Iraq. This is no change, and it is unacceptable.
  The American people will not be fooled by these smoke-and-mirror 
tactics. The President said the surge was intended to provide time for 
the Iraqis to make political progress; yet, there has been no political 
progress and no improvement in the situation in Iraq. The Iraqis have 
only met 3 of 18 benchmarks for success, all the while they are mired 
in a religious civil war.
  Enough is enough. It is time for real change and direction in Iraq.

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