[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5513]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 REPORT INDICATES POLITICAL OBSTACLES AND UNLIKELY FUTURE PROGRESS IN 
                                  IRAQ

  (Mr. WALZ of Minnesota asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, today House committees will 
hear from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker about the supposed 
progress being made in Iraq and the need to keep 140,000 U.S. troops 
there indefinitely. As we listen to this testimony, it is important to 
remember what our Nation's true goals are and what true, lasting 
security actually means.
  A new report out this week from the same experts who advised the 
nonpartisan Independent Iraq Study Group concludes that political 
progress in Iraq is at best ``slow, halting and superficial,'' and 
political fragmentation is ``so pronounced'' that we are no closer to 
leaving Iraq than we were a year ago. The experts predict that it could 
take at least 5 to 10 years to produce any real, measurable political 
reconciliation.
  Madam Speaker, I would hope that President Bush would read this new 
report so that he could see how people outside his administration are 
viewing the situation in Iraq. Such sobering and nonpartisan assessment 
should serve as a wake-up call that we should not leave 140,000 troops 
in Iraq indefinitely while the Iraqis are doing virtually nothing to 
live up to their promises.

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