[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8928-8929]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                IRAQ WAR

  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, as I come to the floor this morning to 
share my concerns about this country's disastrous policies in Iraq, our 
Nation is mourning the unimaginable loss of 32 people in the tragic and 
senseless shootings at Virginia Tech. The thoughts and prayers of every 
American are with the victims of this horrific episode, the deadliest 
shooting this country has ever seen. We are only beginning to learn 
exactly what happened yesterday. We may never know why it happened, but 
what we know for certain is that in our shared grief we will find 
shared resolve to care for the wounded, to comfort the families and 
friends of those who died, to support this university and its 
community, and to search for answers and hope this tragedy may never be 
repeated.
  I have been a member of the Senate now for just over 100 days. I am 
here, and many of my freshman colleagues are here, because the people 
of Rhode Island, like millions of other people across this country, 
looked at the war in Iraq and saw something that needed to change. They 
saw hundreds of billions of dollars spent, much of it wasted on 
reconstruction contracts that were sloppily managed or ill-advised. 
They saw one after another in a succession of retired generals 
protesting the failed strategy in Iraq and arguing for a different 
course. They saw reports that the Bush administration had misused and 
politicized our national intelligence services to press a case for war 
that did not exist. They read books, chronicling a heartbreaking series 
of mistakes and misjudgments. They saw tens of thousands of American 
soldiers return home grievously injured, and mourned more than 3,000 
men and women who will never return home.
  The country saw one of the greatest foreign policy disasters of 
American history and demanded a new direction. The American people 
voted for change. They were sincere, sober, and correct in their 
judgment, and this new Congress listened, but President Bush did not. 
Instead of committing to redeploy our troops from Iraq, the President 
chose to escalate this conflict. Now, instead of working with this new 
Congress to forge a new strategy, a strategy worthy of the sacrifices 
of our men and women in uniform, the President and Vice President are 
on the attack--on the political attack--not against the Iraqi leaders 
who are slow-walking us through this conflict in their country, but 
against the American people who have rightly questioned their failing 
policy. The question is this: How much longer will this President 
refuse to listen?

[[Page 8929]]

  Since joining the Senate just over 100 days ago, I have worked to put 
pressure on the Bush administration to redeploy our troops from Iraq. 
In mid-March, as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I 
traveled to Iraq to get a firsthand look at the situation on the 
ground, to see the hard work of our dedicated troops, and to talk with 
our military commanders and with Iraqi political officials. In Baghdad, 
our delegation met with several of the officers leading America's 
military engagement in Iraq, including GEN David Petraeus, LTG Raymond 
Odierno, and LTG Martin Dempsey, as well as members of our U.S. Embassy 
country team. We also met with Mahmud al-Mashhadani, Speaker of the 
Iraqi Parliament, and National Security Minister Shirwan al-Waili. In 
my capacity as a member of the Intelligence Committee, I also met with 
members of our Nation's intelligence staff and their Iraqi 
counterparts.
  In Fallujah, we spoke with GEN Walter E. Gaskin, Marine commander in 
Anbar Province, and other commanders of the Marine Expeditionary Force. 
I met three brave Rhode Islanders there: Kristie St. Jean from 
Woonsocket, Christopher Tilson from Providence, and Anthony Paulo from 
Westerly, all serving our Nation with dedication, courage, and honor.
  On our return, we traveled through Germany to visit Landstuhl 
Regional Medical Center near Ramstein Air Base where our soldiers, 
sailors, marines, and airmen, badly injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, 
are med-evac'd to receive critical medical care before their return 
home. MAJ Andrew Risio, who hails from Ashaway, RI, is helping provide 
care to our wounded soldiers in that facility.
  The young men and women I met with in Iraq and their families have 
made tremendous sacrifices, and their expert performance and can-do 
attitude reinforced my pride in the American spirit. The security 
posture we maintain around our military bases is strong, and our troops 
are working hard to secure the cities and countryside of Iraq. The work 
of our intelligence and Special Operations personnel, which often runs 
nonstop through the night, is remarkable and exhibits a level of 
professionalism in which every American can be very confident.
  The achievements of our forces in Iraq are serious--and here is what 
impressed me the most from our trip: So is their commitment that the 
Iraqis must assume responsibility for the security and governance of 
their own country. In nearly every briefing, at every level of command, 
the message came loud and clear that our military is highly focused on 
accomplishing a handover of security responsibilities so as to bring 
our troops home. As a young soldier in mess hall told me, the Iraqis 
``won't stand up until we start to stand back.''
  I do believe the Iraqis need more motivation to stand up. For 
instance, there is key legislation the Iraqi Parliament must pass that 
our military commanders believe is necessary if this surge is to 
succeed. They told me we cannot succeed in this military surge unless 
it is accompanied by a political surge, an economic surge, and a 
diplomatic surge. Critical measures to facilitate provincial elections, 
regulation and revenue-sharing for the Iraqi oil industry, reversing 
de-Beatification in favor of reunification, and restricting sectarian 
militias are all legislative initiatives that have stalled.
  Iraq must take action and move this legislation forward and step up 
its own security presence. That will require real commitment and 
urgency, Mr. President. And it would be putting it mildly to say I was 
not reassured by the signals I received from our meetings with Iraqi 
officials. There is a serious disconnect between the urgency of our 
generals about this legislation, and the absence of urgency or energy 
on the part of Iraqi officials. One soldier I met put it in simple, 
homespun terms. He said: ``If your parents are willing to pay for the 
movies and you don't have to spend your own money, or if you can get 
your big sister to do your homework for you, who wants that to stop?''
  It does have to stop and this Congress is taking action to make that 
clear. I was proud to vote with a majority of the Senate to pass 
binding bipartisan legislation to require the safe redeployment of our 
brave troops beginning in 120 days, with the goal of having the vast 
majority of our troops redeployed from Iraq by the end of March. I am 
also a cosponsor of the recently introduced Feingold-Reid legislation 
to continue to put pressure on the Bush administration to safely 
redeploy our troops.
  Only the kind of pressure a decision to redeploy creates will provide 
the motivation needed for Iraq to take the necessary steps to assume 
responsibility for its own governance and security. An announcement 
that our troops will be leaving will encourage the Iraqis to step up 
and take their security seriously, will discourage the insurgents, and 
will send a message to the world community that stability in Iraq will 
no longer be the responsibility of America alone.
  Last week, I had the opportunity to take that message directly to the 
Oval Office. In a meeting with President Bush and several of our 
colleagues who had recently traveled to Iraq, I urged him to announce a 
redeployment and a change of course was the strongest force he had in 
his hands. I also gave the President letters sent to me from Rhode 
Island folks with family members serving in Iraq.Those messages said 
loudly and clearly that it is time to bring our troops home.
  But rather than acting to change course, the President keeps playing 
politics. He has threatened to veto legislation this Congress passed to 
provide critically needed funding for our troops in the field. In our 
meeting last week, he said he was prepared for what he called a 
``classic political showdown.''
  The question of what to do in Iraq is not a political fight between 
President Bush and the Democrats in Congress. It is a struggle between 
the President and the will and the good sense of the American people. 
It is long past time that their voices were heard.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from South Carolina is 
recognized.
  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 10 
minutes in morning business.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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