[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10858-10859]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   A SAD ANNIVERSARY FOR THIS COUNTRY

  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, 
in a few minutes, the President of the United States will veto the 
legislation to hold the Iraqi government responsible and accountable 
for the benchmarks that they promised their citizens and the citizens 
of this country. Tonight, after 24,000 U.S. soldiers have been wounded, 
3,212 have been killed, and the country has descended into a bloody 
civil war, what we now see is the basis on which the President told 
this country he wanted the surge in the escalation was that he would 
hold the Iraqi government responsible.
  In January, he said he would hold the Iraqi government to the 
benchmarks as

[[Page 10859]]

announced, and that if no progress is made, they would lose the support 
of the American people. The fact is that no progress has been made, and 
the Brookings Institute has shown us that situation.
  What we see now, as Secretary Rice says, that the administration 
believes that holding the Iraqis accountable to these benchmarks that 
they establish as the price of the surge ``doesn't allow us the 
flexibility and creativity we need to move forward.''
  You can be creative all you want but unless the Iraqis know that 
there are consequences, and that is what this legislation said, that if 
you can't reach these benchmarks, if you can't establish a civil 
society, then we will withdraw our troops.
  Right now, under President Bush's proposal under Secretary Rice's 
proposal, what we see as the only people paying the price are the 
American soldiers. Those are the only people paying the price tonight.
  Today marks a sad anniversary for this, country.
  Four years ago today, President Bush declared that the mission in 
Iraq was accomplished and that major combat operations in Iraq were 
over.
  Since that time, 24,270 U.S. soldiers have been wounded, 3,212 have 
been killed, and the country has descended into a bloody civil war that 
we cannot stop nor should we referee.
  It is time for America to redeploy it's troops from Iraq.
  That's why today, Congress sent a bill to the President's desk that 
would do just that: to redeploy from Iraq.
  It's what a majority of the American people want, and it's what a 
majority of the United States Congress wants.
  But instead of ending the war, the President is pursuing a war with 
no end in sight.
  He refuses to hold the Iraqi government accountable for the 
benchmarks it promised to achieve: to establish a government supported 
by its people that can provide for its own security.
  In January, the President said that ``If the Iraqi Government does 
not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the 
American people.''
  Well Mr. President, the Iraqi's have not followed through, and your 
war has lost the support of the American people and a majority of the 
United States Congress.
  According to a study by the Brookings Institute, there has been ``no 
progress thus far'' achieving the administration's benchmarks.
  Yet, despite the President's promise in January to ``hold the Iraqi 
Government to the benchmarks it has announced,'' the administration has 
flip flopped.
  On Sunday, Secretary Rice said the administration believes that 
holding the Iraqis accountable ``doesn't allow us the flexibility and 
creativity that we need to move this forward.''
  You can be creative as you want, but unless the Iraqis know that 
there are consequences to not living up to their end of the bargain, 
American Soldiers, taxpayers will continue to make all of the 
sacrifices and bear all the costs. And that is unacceptable.
  Optimism is not a strategy. Ignoring the facts and misleading the 
country is not a path to victory.
  It is time for the Iraqi's to be held accountable, and to take charge 
of their own country.
  And it is time that the President yield to the will of the Nation, 
and end our occupation of Iraq now.

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