[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14152-14153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH GIVES NEW HOPE TO THE WORLD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to praise President Obama for his 
historic speech in Cairo last Thursday. By speaking with respect and 
honesty to the Muslim world, the President built new bridges, bridges 
of understanding and peace.
  The speech contrasted sharply with the approach taken by the previous 
administration. There was no arrogance

[[Page 14153]]

or fear-mongering in President Obama's speech. He made no threats. He 
did not talk about an endless war on terrorism.
  Instead, the President called for a new beginning between the United 
States and the Muslim people. He renewed his pledge that America ``is 
not--and never will be--at war with Islam.''
  He called for cooperation instead of conflict. He courageously 
acknowledged the mistakes of the past and called for an end to 
mistrust.
  The President marginalized violent extremists by saying, and I quote 
him, ``The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger 
than the narrow hatred of a few.''
  He defended Israel's right to live in peace while recognizing the 
Palestinian people's right to a state of their own.
  On Iran, President Obama urged diplomacy and reiterated his call for 
a nuclear-free world. And he advocated for democracy, for religious 
freedom, economic opportunity and the rights of women and girls.
  Madam Speaker, everyone listening to the speech had to be inspired by 
the President's eloquence and good will. But the President also 
acknowledged that the speech was just a start. Now we face the hard 
work, the work of making peace a reality, especially in Iraq and 
Afghanistan.
  On this issue, I've urged the President to move in a bold new 
direction. I've called upon him to speed up the timetable for the 
withdrawal of our troops and military contractors from Iraq, and to 
leave no residual forces behind, because I believe the sooner we return 
full sovereignty to Iraq, the better.
  I voted against the supplemental appropriations action because it 
will prolong our occupation of Iraq and sink us deeper into the 
quagmire of Afghanistan.
  We must develop a plan to redeploy our troops out of Afghanistan. 
Otherwise, we'll face another endless occupation, one that will fuel 
anti-Americanism and promote instability, which actually is happening 
in Afghanistan and Pakistan today.

                              {time}  1930

  We need a whole new approach to the region. Instead of sending in 
more troops and investing in military solutions that won't work, we 
should be investing in smart, peaceful power that will work. Smart 
power means helping the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan to build 
roads, schools, hospitals, and better agricultural systems. It means 
helping to create jobs and assisting those who have been displaced by 
the war. This is what the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan really 
want from the United States. If we provide smart assistance to them, 
Madam Speaker, we will defeat the violent extremists. We will bring 
peace to the region, and we will make America safer. This strategy is 
at the core of my SMART Security Platform for the 21st Century. This is 
legislation that is described in House Resolution 363.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to consider House 
Resolution 363 and to support it.

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