[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            A NEW DIRECTION

  (Mr. LARSON of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, 4 years ago, the President 
declared victory onboard the Abraham Lincoln.
  Indeed, our troops have performed valiantly and achieved military 
victory. There is no question about that or their performance. But 4 
years later, we find ourselves still in a quagmire, a quagmire that 
even the head of the CIA said was now all trumped up with 
misinformation, misled the country, sacrificing brave men and women and 
their lives in Iraq.
  What we need is for the President to step up and recognize what the 
American people are calling for: a new direction. Refocus on 
Afghanistan, go after the terrorists where they are, go after Osama bin 
Laden, the people who actually took down the tower, and end this 
quagmire. And the only reason that we are there and continue to lose 
lives, because there is no mission other than arrogance and hubris that 
has led this President to stay this course in spite of the sacrifice by 
our brave troops and men, when 61 percent of the Iraqi people say it is 
okay to kill Americans, that sectarian violence is okay, and in the 
midst of the civil war is not where we belong.

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