[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1939]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           THE PRESIDENT SHOULD LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Mr. MAHONEY of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MAHONEY of Florida. Madam Speaker, I am here today representing 
Florida's 16th District. Tonight we will listen to the President with 
the expectation that he will listen to the American people.
  Our Nation is facing some of the greatest challenges of our time. 
From the war in Iraq, to global terrorism, to ending the addiction to 
foreign oil, the stakes are high and getting higher.
  Americans understand the urgency of our challenges. It is time for 
the President to step up to the plate and offer real solutions that put 
America on the path to success and security.
  I hope the President will offer a new strategy to win the war in Iraq 
and that that strategy will use diplomacy as its cornerstone, not troop 
escalation. Let me be clear. I am committed to supporting our brave men 
and women in uniform, but do not believe their role should be policing 
a civil war.
  We need to turn our energy crisis into an opportunity by investing in 
domestic production of biofuels and alternative and renewable energies. 
Last year the President called for an end to America's addiction to 
oil. And one week later, he cut funding for the development of 
alternative fuels and energy-efficient technologies. Instead of 
rhetoric, we need results.
  I ask the President to listen to the American people, to the message 
they sent last November. Our children depend on it.

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