[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4118-4119]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the issue that is 
presently before this body--whether it will be here formally or not we 
will see--the issue of Iraq. I think it is critically important we 
discuss it. I am glad to see we are having private discussions

[[Page 4119]]

about it, but I think it is time to engage.
  I want to say, as one who does not support the troop surge, I think 
it is important we have a full process. I think it is important we have 
a full process where amendments are allowed and where people are 
allowed to bring forward different ideas and thoughts. It is the key 
issue of our day. It is an important issue of our day. It is something 
that shouldn't be drug out, but I don't think asking for three, or four 
even, amendments to this resolution is something that would drag it out 
because that is what allows full discussion, and we certainly need a 
full discussion on the record on the ways forward.
  I think it is also appropriate for us to do that in light of the 
division of powers between the executive and legislative branches. The 
President is the Commander in Chief, and he or she must move forward in 
that capacity. We are the funding arm, the legislative body. We are 
entitled to put forward our ideas, but there is one Commander in Chief. 
I think it is important we have this discussion to put forward our 
ideas, but it needs to be a full discussion of the ideas.
  I would urge the Democratic leader, the majority leader, to bring 
this issue forward in a way that we could debate various options. I 
have been in this body certainly during debate on contentious issues 
wherein we are given different viewpoints to allow people to vote, and 
on one that is so important and so critical, I think it is important 
for us to have multiple viewpoints put forward. So even as one who does 
not support the troop surge, which I don't believe is the wise route to 
go, I believe this body should have options.
  I would not support a cloture motion that says we will only have one 
option to vote on. I don't think that is a fair or an appropriate 
process for this body to follow. I think it is important that we have a 
full debate on the full range of issues.
  My goodness, for us to take a couple of weeks to discuss this would 
not be inappropriate, given the importance and the magnitude and the 
seriousness of the moment.
  I support the troops. We all support the troops, and we need to 
support the troops in the field. That doesn't mean we can't have a 
debate, but it also doesn't mean we should be limited to just one 
thought that we can have to vote on. We should have a multiple set of 
ideas, fully vetted and fully discussed.
  As I have traveled across this country and in my home State, this is 
one subject about which people have a lot of different viewpoints and a 
lot of different ideas. Everybody supports the troops, but they may not 
agree with how the war is proceeding. They think there ought to be 
other tactics employed, and they want viewpoints expressed. I think 
that is fully appropriate. I think the President invites us to, in 
responsible ways, bring these ideas and viewpoints forward. But you 
don't do that with having just one viewpoint and that is it; one vote 
and you can't have an option; one proposal without amendments, when 
there is a full debate and discussion that is needed on this topic.
  So I want to voice my opinion on this issue; that is, I think the way 
forward is for us to engage in the full process that the Senate is 
fully capable of doing and desirous of doing. I think it would be 
important as well to our troops in the field to have a full debate on 
this topic. I hope that we do that, and we could start engaging in it 
now rather than putting it off and delaying it further.

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