[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 26141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                            IRAQ STUDY GROUP

  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, last night, we passed the Department of 
Defense Authorization bill. I want to comment briefly on the debate we 
had during consideration of that legislation related to the war in 
Iraq. I am frustrated that we did not reach a bipartisan consensus on a 
new way forward that could begin to bring an end to this conflict.
  When I introduced the Iraq Study Group Recommendations Implementation 
Act last spring with Senator Alexander and a bipartisan group of our 
colleagues, I was hopeful we could work constructively with the 
President toward the goal of having our troops redeployed by the spring 
of 2008. I was hopeful that we would send a strong signal--with a 
bipartisan group that eventually grew to 17 Senators--that we should 
get out of the combat business in Iraq as quickly as possible.
  The Iraq Study Group Report was issued 10 months ago. Its core 
recommendation was that we transition our military mission from combat 
to training, supporting, and equipping Iraqi security forces. The 
report said that we should condition our support of the Iraqi 
Government on its performance in meeting important milestones. The 
report contemplated that we could be out of the combat business by 
March 31, 2008.
  The report was anticipated with great fanfare. But when it came out, 
the Bush administration failed to embrace it. The Iraqi Government has 
failed to meet most of the benchmarks described in the report. General 
Petraeus has testified, essentially, that we should maintain our combat 
mission for the foreseeable future. And that March 31 date is only 6 
months away.
  I still believe in the report. It is still relevant, and it is still 
important. It sets forth a comprehensive military, political, and 
economic strategy for bringing a responsible end to the war in Iraq.
  But I believe we must build upon the report and take decisive action 
now to redefine our mission in Iraq and set a clear course for the 
redeployment of our troops.
  Ten months after the Iraq Study Group issued its report, we have 
failed to begin the transition of our mission that was central to their 
recommendations. That transition in mission is the key to encouraging 
the Iraqi Government to take responsibility for the future of their 
country. The Government Accountability Office has concluded that the 
Iraqi Government has failed to take that responsibility by meeting the 
reasonable benchmarks set forth by the Iraq Study Group.
  I continue to believe that we must follow the core principles laid 
out in the Iraq Study Group Report. I continue to believe we need a 
bipartisan solution to bring this conflict to a responsible end. And I 
thank each of the cosponsors of our amendment, Republicans and 
Democrats, for their willingness to join in this important effort. They 
include Senators Alexander, Bennett, Coleman, Collins, Domenici, Gregg, 
Specter, and Sununu from the Republican side and Democratic Senators 
Pryor, Casey, Carper, Conrad, Landrieu, Lincoln, McCaskill, and Bill 
Nelson.
  I believe now is the time to build upon the principles set forth by 
the Iraq Study Group. We must begin a transition of mission from combat 
to training and support. We must demand more from the Iraqi Government 
and send a strong and unequivocal message that our commitment is not 
open-ended. I believe these actions are consistent with the 
recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, and I remain hopeful that our 
legislation can be the basis for a constructive, bipartisan solution to 
the war in Iraq.

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