[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2190-2193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today I rise to talk about a portion of the 
President's address last night that I think is extremely important. I 
have heard from many of my colleagues in this body and on the talk 
shows that there are serious concerns about the war in Iraq. Primarily, 
they are saying we need to change our strategy; we shouldn't be 
involved in a civil war. We should be involving the Iraqis themselves 
in taking care of the civil war. We ought to be providing more--we 
ought to ensure the Iraqi Government cuts the Sunnis in on the oil 
revenues and makes them full economic partners. We need to bring in the 
friendly neighbors in the region, those countries that want to see a 
peaceful and stable Iraq, and we ought to be following the Baker-
Hamilton report.
  As I listened to the President's speech last night, that is precisely 
what he did. This is a new strategy we have in Iraq. We have heard in 
our open Intelligence Committee hearings that now, for the first time, 
we believe Prime Minister al-Maliki and his Sunni and Kurdish fellow 
elected leaders believe they can take over and restore order in that 
country, and they are willing to crack down on the Shia death squads, 
such as Muqtada al-Sadr. We have seen reports of that in the media. 
They report that the neighboring countries are willing now to come in 
and help with reconstruction, provide job opportunities for young 
unemployed men to keep them from becoming insurgents or terrorists, and 
this, they say, is our best chance.
  Frankly, for Prime Minister al-Maliki and his government, this is 
probably their last chance. This is an opportunity where al-Maliki 
said: If you will provide some additional support as we go in, get our 
troops up to speed and clear and hold Baghdad, we will take over the 
country.
  That is what we need to do to bring a successful conclusion to this 
war and to draw out our military. We are probably going to have our 
military in the region for a long time because, as the President said, 
this is a generational war against radical Islam and the terror they 
bring.
  I wanted to just briefly note a comment. Last night we heard that the 
military is against the war. Well, there may be some in the military 
who are against the war, but I can tell my colleagues, I have spent a 
lot of time listening to Missouri soldiers and marines, people who have 
been on the ground. I have gotten reports from them continually. I have 
seen newspaper reports about the people who have come back, the 
soldiers who have come back.
  For example, one woman has written a book. She served with the Army's 
101st Airborne. She lost her husband in the war. She says:

       It is hard to stay positive about Iraq because of what you 
     see on the news. But I was able to be there and I know what a 
     difference we are making there.

  Others, such as 1SG Stephanie Leonard, was moved to tears, saying 
that they are heroes for helping the Iraqi people. She said:

       It is not a 24-hour war. We want things to be in a hurry. 
     As soon as the Iraqi police are able to secure their own 
     country, that is when the window begins to open.

  These are just some of the many comments I have seen in print in 
Missouri and heard people express. They want to see us win. They know 
they are doing the job. They believe the liberal national media has 
painted a very unflattering and untrue picture, and that is why our 
troops think they are not getting a fair shake.
  But in that context, in the context of what the President did, let's 
talk about the resolutions which are being discussed. If the President 
is on the track to respond to all of the ideas about how

[[Page 2191]]

we ought to change our direction in Iraq--and I believe he is--what 
will the resolutions do?
  Well, proponents of the resolutions say they want to support the 
troops, but the resolutions don't do that. Clearly, I believe there is 
an agreement now that we are not going to try to use the congressional 
power of the purse to cut off funding and force an immediate withdrawal 
from Iraq because that would be madness. The Director of National 
Intelligence told our committee:

       Precipitous withdrawal could lead to a collapse of the 
     government of that country and a collapse of their security 
     forces because we simply don't think they are ready to take 
     over, to assume full control of their fiscal 
     responsibilities.

  To simply withdraw now would have catastrophic effects, and that is a 
quite widely held view inside of Iraq itself. If we were to cut off 
funds, the CIA Director said it would lead, No. 1, to increased killing 
of Iraqi civilians.
  No. 2, the establishment by al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden of the 
base of operations for their war to establish a worldwide caliphate 
beginning in the Middle East, taking over the areas of Iraq which would 
be out of control and would bring people in from other countries in a 
possible civil war.
  If we remember, that is what happened in Vietnam. When Congress cut 
off the purse, we saw our allies slaughtered in Vietnam, and some 2 to 
2.5 million people in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam were killed. A 
possible slaughter of people in the Middle East who have supported us 
would ensue.
  General Maples, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told 
our committee 2 weeks ago:

        . . . A failure in Iraq would empower the jihadist 
     movement. It would give that base of operations from which 
     the jihadist movement would extend. And it's consistent with 
     the goals of Al Qaida in Iraq to establish that Islamic 
     state, and then to expand it into the caliphate. I also think 
     that there, of course, will be very significant regional 
     impacts both in terms of stability to other countries--

  I ask unanimous consent to speak an additional 4 minutes.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, what is the parliamentary situation?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tester). The time for morning business has 
expired.
  Mr. GREGG. The Senator from Missouri is asking for 4 additional 
minutes?
  Mr. BOND. I ask for 4 additional minutes.
  Mr. GREGG. I have no objection to the Senator proceeding.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. It will 
be charged against the minority side.
  Mr. BOND. General Maples also told the Senate Intelligence Committee 
that a withdrawal from Iraq could leave Iraq's vast oil reserves in the 
hands of jihadists. We can imagine what trouble that would lead to.
  If we are not using our power to cut off the funds and force a hasty 
withdrawal, what are we doing? Are we telling the 21,000 brave men and 
women who are going to Iraq we are uncomfortable with the dangerous 
mission they are about to undertake but not offering any alternative? I 
am sure they will find that very encouraging. They will be delighted to 
know we don't like what they are doing but they will have to do it 
anyhow.
  If the goal of the resolution is to let the American people know we 
are uncomfortable with the situation in Iraq, I guess that makes for 
good politics. But, personally, I think it is wrong and irresponsible. 
It is irresponsible because if we approve this resolution, the whole 
world will be listening, including the worst actors in Iraq. We will be 
telling the Sunni terror cells and the Shia militias that America's 
political will is wavering.
  If the members of al-Qaida in Iraq are finding themselves discouraged 
by the United States military's relentless pursuit, I am sure they will 
take comfort from these political gestures. If the Iraqis who support 
and encourage the Shia death squads are feeling the heat of United 
States-led and supported operations and are contemplating a compromise 
that might bring sectarian killing to an end, I am sure they will take 
comfort from the political gesture to hold on a little longer.
  One of the keys to a successful counterinsurgency campaign is to wear 
down the enemy's resolve. This resolution will do the opposite. It will 
encourage Sunni terrorists and Shia death squads, letting them know if 
they hang on longer, the United States will not have the political will 
to outlast them.
  One of the ironies of the resolution is that it condemns a 
recommendation that comes from a group the Senate requested in 
legislation. The Iraq Study Group's report recommended that the Iraqi 
government:

        . . . accelerate assuming responsibility for Iraqi 
     security by increasing the number and quality of Iraqi Army 
     brigades. While this process is underway, and to facilitate 
     it, the United States should significantly increase the 
     number of U.S. military personnel, including combat troops, 
     imbedded in and supporting Iraqi Army units. As these actions 
     proceed, U.S. combat forces could begin to move out of Iraq.

  So let me make sure I have this right. The Senate demanded the 
legislation. The Iraq Study Group put together recommendations. The 
study group came forward and made recommendations and the President had 
the temerity to accept some of them, and now we are going to vote out a 
resolution condemning them for accepting those recommendations?
  General Petraeus said this week to the Committee on Armed Services 
that he needs the 21,000 troops to get the job done. Are we telling him 
we don't think we should have those troops?
  I have to confess, even as a Senator, I can't tell you exactly what 
we are trying to say in these resolutions. Are we expressing concern 
and discomfort with the situation in Iraq? I can't imagine how that 
would help. But more importantly, I can imagine lots of ways in which 
it will not help.
  Look at the confusion within our Government in 1993 when the military 
had concerns about congressional intentions over our involvement in 
Somalia and how they prevented a request for armor that could have 
saved the lives of American soldiers. It is not a perfect analogy, of 
course, but I think it offers an important warning of the danger of 
mixed message like the one we will send with this resolution.
  Our commander on the ground in Somalia in 1993, General Montgomery, 
requested a small unit of tanks and armored vehicles, as a quick 
reaction force in case our troops got bogged down or surrounded in the 
dense urban sprawl of Mogadishu, as they eventually did.
  Les Aspin, the Secretary of Defense at the time, denied the 
commander's request. He told the Senate Armed Services Committee that 
``Congressional concerns about U.S. military involvement in Somalia 
were a factor in his decision to deny General Montgomery's request for 
armor.''
  General Montgomery also told the Armed Services Committee that he 
would have used that armor in October 1993 ``Blackhawk Down'' incident 
to rescue our troops who were bogged down in urban combat with Somali 
militia men. General Montgomery said that if he had that armor, ``we 
would have gotten there faster. We would have taken fewer casualties.''
  My fear is that, in addition to the message this resolution will send 
to our enemies about our lack of resolve, it will also send a wrong and 
confusing message to our military commanders.
  Just like we did in Somalia in 1993, we are pretty much saying that 
while the President should not pull our military out of Iraq, they 
shouldn't bother asking for what they need to get the job done and 
protect themselves while they are there.
  General Petraeus raised this very same issue in his testimony this 
week in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said that he 
worried about what message this resolution. would send to his soldiers 
and himself.
  If we are going to leave our troops in Iraq, as we should, we should 
also give them everything they need to protect themselves and get their 
job done. Just as importantly, we should not leave them with the 
mistaken impression that they shouldn't bother to ask for what they 
need.
  Congress cannot, and should not micromanage the war in Iraq--the 
troops in the field like to call that the 8,000 mile screwdriver. If 
any Senator

[[Page 2192]]

wants to propose legislation to compel a withdrawal from Iraq, so be 
it, and let's vote on the matter.
  If not, let's stop trying to micromanage by resolution, suggestion 
and gesture, put away the 8,000 mile screwdriver, and give the 
President's plan a chance to succeed.
  The Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Tom Fingar, told the 
Senate Intelligence Committee this week that gains in stability in Iraq 
could open a window for gains in sectarian reconciliation. I agree, and 
we have to give the President's plan a chance to succeed if we want to 
open that window.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have two pertinent articles 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           [From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12, 2005]

              Bronze Star Winner Sees Fruit of Her Efforts

                        (By Mary Delach Leonard)

       Last January, Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Leonard was moved to 
     tears as she watched news reports of the national elections 
     in Iraq.
       ``When I saw people running around with their ink-colored 
     fingers, I cried. I knew it was worth it. And I realized 
     something important: Without soldiers and without people who 
     support their soldiers, that day would have never come,'' she 
     said.
       ``People overuse the word hero, but I felt like a hero that 
     day.''
       Leonard, 43, of Normandy, served in Iraq two years ago, 
     shortly after the start of the war. She was assigned to the 
     135th Military History Detachment of the Missouri National 
     Guard, and her job was to gather stories of war. Her three-
     soldier unit crisscrossed the Sunni Triangle from April to 
     August 2003 interviewing and photographing members of the 
     Third Corps Support Command.
       The information they gathered will eventually be stored at 
     the Center for Military History in Washington.
       ``Believe it or not, the military really does like to learn 
     from its successes and failures, and this is one way we can 
     do that,'' Leonard says.
       She performed her duty so well, she was awarded the Bronze 
     Star for meritorious service; she was the first female 
     soldier of the Missouri Guard to earn the honor.
       Leonard says people are always curious about the medal and 
     are often surprised to discover that the Bronze Star is 
     awarded not only for valor but, as in her case, for doing an 
     outstanding job.
       ``It was all about the mission,'' she said.


                          Women are in combat

       Leonard is manager of information technology at Aramark in 
     St. Louis--she calls herself a computer geek--and says that 
     her life is pretty well back to normal. But she is concerned 
     for her friends in Guard units currently serving in Iraq. She 
     is aware that Americans are growing impatient and that some 
     politicians have called for a timetable to begin withdrawing 
     U.S. troops.
       ``It's not a 24-hour war, and, as Americans, we want things 
     in a hurry,'' she said. ``We have to be patient. As soon as 
     the Iraqi police are able to secure their own country, then 
     that's when the window begins to open.''
       On the day Leonard was interviewed for this story, the news 
     was grim: Six American troops had been killed and 13 injured 
     during a suicide attack on a convoy in Fallujah. The 
     headlines focused on the fact that four of the dead were 
     female Marines, and that 11 of the injured were also women. 
     Some political commentators questioned the assignments of 
     women in Iraq.
       Although Pentagon policy excludes women from ground combat 
     units, they are allowed to serve in support units, such as 
     transportation, engineers and military police.
       ``If women are in support roles everywhere in Iraq, then 
     women are in combat,'' Leonard said.
       Some people are bothered by the thought of women kicking in 
     doors or assuming the role of the aggressor, she said.
       ``But we have female firefighters and women police 
     officers, and they are trained to kick in doors.''
       Loss of life is tragic, whether male or female, Leonard 
     said.
       ``Bullets don't differentiate.''
       Although her unit traveled in unsecured combat zones in 
     Iraq, Leonard said she never felt as though male soldiers 
     treated her differently or tried to protect her.
       ``I think I was more protective of them,'' she said. ``They 
     knew I could take care of myself.''


                             Making choices

       Since returning from Iraq, Leonard has been invited to 
     speak about her experiences before various civic groups. 
     Recently, she addressed Junior ROTC students at Beaumont High 
     School. She told them that life is all about options, choices 
     and decisions.
       ``As you get older, choices don't get easier; they get 
     harder,'' she said.
       Leonard points to her own life as an example. She joined 
     the National Guard 16 years ago after graduating from St. 
     Louis University because she wanted a challenge. She found 
     one in Iraq.
       She said she embraced the U.S. mission in Iraq because, as 
     she traveled the countryside, she discovered how bad 
     conditions were for the people.
       Leonard said she has thought about returning to Iraq--she 
     thinks she could make a contribution--but she would do so 
     reluctantly because of her family. She is particularly 
     concerned about her mother who took it hard when her youngest 
     child went to war.
       Recently, Leonard has been thinking a lot about her time in 
     Iraq because she has been answering a detailed questionnaire 
     from the National Guard about her service.
       ``It's a real shock to the system,'' she said. ``It can 
     bring up all sorts of memories.''
                                  ____


            [From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Apr. 2, 2006]

                         The Heart of a Soldier


 Missouri veteran of Iraq war reflects on life, love and grief in her 
                                new book

                        (By Mary Delach Leonard)

       Kate Blaise is back home in northeastern Missouri, an 
     hour's drive from just about anywhere and a lifetime away 
     from the desert of northern Iraq, where she served for a year 
     with the Army's 10lst Airborne Division.
       These days, her life is an open book, told in candid detail 
     in her recently published autobiography ``The Heart of a 
     Soldier: A True Story of Love, War and Sacrifice.'' But the 
     residents of Macon, her hometown of 5,500, already knew the 
     basic plot line:
       How the former Kate Decker, who grew up wanting to join the 
     Army, completed ROTC training in college and then rose to the 
     rank of captain.
       How, as a logistics officer, she convoyed across Iraq 
     during the opening days of the war.
       How she married her high school sweetheart, Mike Blaise, 
     who would become a chief warrant officer with the 101st He 
     was a pilot who loved flying Kiowa helicopters and who saw 
     his share of combat.
       How they served together in Iraq and how she made it home 
     safely--but he did not.
       ``Some people tell me that they know how it ends, and yet 
     they hope for a different ending,'' Blaise says.
       An ending where a Kiowa won't crash in the desert on a 
     dark, windy January night in 2004, the eve of her unit's 
     departure for home.
       Others have told her that although they didn't know her 
     husband, they feel like they do after reading her story.
       ``That's why I wrote the book,'' she says simply.


                            A story to tell

       Since the book's publication in January, Blaise, who just 
     turned 30, has gracefully accepted her new role as author, 
     along with all of the trimmings--public appearances and media 
     interviews.
       On this spring morning, she was in neighboring Atlanta, a 
     town of about 500 people, to speak at Atlanta C-3, a well-
     used brick complex that houses all of the district's 220 
     students, from kindergarten through high school.
       Mike Blaise attended this school through eighth grade, 
     until his family moved to Macon.
       ``Your teachers asked me to come today to speak about 
     attitude. I had the attitude that nobody was going to tell me 
     that I couldn't do what I wanted to accomplish,'' Blaise told 
     the students who lined the wooden bleachers of the 
     gymnasium--third-graders to her left, high schoolers to her 
     right.
       ``Life takes a lot of turns you don't expect. Bad stuff 
     happens. I've lived the life I've somewhat planned. I did 
     join the Army. I also wrote a book. And I certainly never 
     thought I would write a book.''
       Dressed in khakis and an olive green Harley-Davidson shirt, 
     Blaise stood before the microphone looking at ease, although 
     she admitted to being nervous about speaking in public. So 
     she made herself more comfortable, perching on a table where 
     she would later sign copies of her book.
       The students listened respectfully, their hands waving in 
     the air when she asked if they had questions. The third-
     graders wanted to know what it was like in Iraq. So she 
     talked about the gritty sand, camel spiders and heat that can 
     reach beyond 120 degrees.
       The high schoolers wanted to know whether she still 
     believes in the war. And, on this issue, she stands as solid 
     as a storm cellar during a tornado.
       ``It's hard to stay positive about Iraq because of what you 
     see on the news, but I was able to be there, and I know what 
     a difference we are making there,'' she says firmly. ``The 
     main thing is that we gave the Iraqi people the power to make 
     their own decisions.''
       Though much of this was serious talk, she kept the mood 
     light, particularly when the questions had to do with her 
     writing.
       ``I don't have to worry about my dad finding out about 
     anything I've done--I've written a book,'' she said with a 
     smile.
       Getting published was the result of a series of right-
     place-at-the-right-time moments,

[[Page 2193]]

     starting when a women's golfing magazine asked her to write 
     about a makeshift course at her Army base in Iraq.
       ``I am blessed,'' she says. ``I didn't have to work nearly 
     as hard as most authors have to work.''
       But the material for her story--the living of it--was hard-
     earned and paid for in full.


                             a time to heal

       After leaving the Army, Blaise came home to heal.
       She grew up on Crestview Street in a newer section of 
     Macon, the seat of Macon County, about 150 miles from St. 
     Louis. Not far from her old neighborhood, Blaise found her 
     perfect house, though it needed some fixing, too.
       Her father, Steve Decker, a former civil engineer for the 
     state, lives nearby on a 250-acre farm that has been in the 
     Decker family for generations.
       Blaise has slowly remodeled the house, painting the rooms 
     in deep, rich colors, and the kitchen a cheery 1950s red and 
     white. Walls hold framed photos with military themes--she is 
     an avid student of military history--and photos of Mike 
     Blaise. His Air Cavalry hat is in the living room, resting 
     atop the triangular case that holds his medals and the 
     American flag that draped his casket.
       It was in this home that Blaise came to terms with her 
     loss. For the better part of a year, she spent hours in her 
     office, writing chapters and e-mailing them to Dana White, a 
     writer-editor in New York, who co-authored her book.
       She says the toughest part wasn't writing about the night 
     in Iraq when she was told of her husband's helicopter 
     accident.
       ``It's easy to be sad about the sad things,'' she says. 
     ``It was the happy parts that were the hardest. They made me 
     miss him more.''
       The Mike Blaise she loved was a big guy who took her deer 
     hunting and made her laugh and liked to sing country songs in 
     karaoke bars.
       The book is, in fact, full of happy times, a tribute to 
     growing up in small-town America.
       She tells tales on her younger brother and three older 
     sisters--in particular her sister Lindsey, who served in Iraq 
     with the Missouri National Guard.
       Blaise writes that her mother's injury in a car accident 
     was the day that changed everything for her. Marie Decker 
     survived but now lives in a long-term care facility.
       The book is also a tribute to the tenacity of women who 
     have found homes and carved out careers in the predominantly 
     male world of the military. Blaise has little patience with 
     recent political skirmishes that would have limited the roles 
     of servicewomen in Iraq and Afghanistan.
       ``This genie is out of the bottle, and no amount of coaxing 
     will get her back in,'' she says in her book.
       But mostly, the book is a tribute to the life and love of a 
     devoted couple who struggled to maintain their marriage 
     through long separations and their share of disappointments. 
     She says her late husband would have insisted on such 
     honesty.
       ``Mike would have been uncomfortable being glorified,'' she 
     says.
       She still has Scout, the dog the Blaises adopted while 
     serving in Korea. He is a prize, with his baby-seal face and 
     Yodalike ears, a black and white softie who warily eyes 
     strangers and barks at the Amish buggies that pass by their 
     house on U.S. Highway 36.
       Though writing the book was an emotional ordeal, it also 
     helped her come to grips with her sadness, she says.
       ``The day I finished writing, I felt an overwhelming sense 
     of peace,'' she says.


                            the next chapter

       Blaise jokes that some people in Macon feared she was 
     writing a tell-all. And, in effect, that's what she did--she 
     told it all, as it related to her life.
       ``I think her experience growing up was all of our 
     experiences. Nothing could shock us,'' said Sharon 
     Pennington, who teaches business and computer classes at 
     Atlanta and remembers Mike Blaise as a shy youngster, two 
     years younger than she is.
       Kathy Baker, the school superintendent's secretary, was 
     first in line to have Blaise autograph her book.
       ``I haven't read it. I can't,'' said Baker, her eyes 
     growing moist. ``It's too close.''
       Baker knows many of Blaise's relatives, including Mike's 
     grandfather, Virgil, whom everyone called Grampy. He died 
     while the Blaises were still in Iraq, and Mike Blaise is 
     buried next to him in Shelby Memorial Cemetery.
       Blaise says she's not really sure what she will do with the 
     rest of her life. She says she would consider writing another 
     book, perhaps about grief, which she knows a lot about. 
     Though people gave her books on grief, she found them less 
     than helpful with their flowery sentiments. Her book would be 
     more real.
       ``It's hard to grieve,'' she says. ``It sucks, and it's 
     going to suck for a long time.''
       In the meantime, Blaise has joined the Missouri National 
     Guard's 175th Military Police, based in Columbia, because 
     being in the military remains important to her.
       ``It's the one thing that I do that's for the greater 
     good,'' she says.
       When the unit was sent to New Orleans after Hurricane 
     Katrina, she found the deployment satisfying in a new way.
       ``I had never done anything that helped Americans,'' Blaise 
     said.
       Blaise recently got engaged to a helicopter pilot who knew 
     her late husband in flight school. Ironically, it was Mike 
     Blaise's affection for his Harley-Davidson motorcycle that 
     brought this new love into her life. They met while riding 
     their Harleys to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South 
     Dakota, fulfilling a wish that Mike had made to attend the 
     event after the war.
       Blaise says she wasn't looking for romance, and neither was 
     her fiancee. It was an unexpected gift, another of those 
     life's blessings she often talks about.
       ``Knowing that Mike knew him somehow eases the guilt,'' she 
     says. ``God doesn't always agree with what you set for 
     yourself. ``

                          ____________________