[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2496]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               A TIME OUT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, on his first day in office, I sent a letter 
to President Barack Obama calling for an international cease fire or 
``time out.''
  Like many of my colleagues, I have serious concerns about our Nation 
and its ongoing participation in armed conflicts. Right now, our men 
and women in uniform are engaged in bloody struggles in Iraq, and 
Afghanistan, and other troops are based throughout six continents. I 
fear that our influence around the globe is felt more by our military 
presence than diplomatically, economically or socially. That, in turn, 
leads to a negative and hostile view of the United States, its policies 
and its people.
  Mr. Speaker, last November, people overwhelmingly supported then 
Candidate Obama because of his message of change and hope for a new 
America and a new era in foreign policy. I was especially encouraged by 
his statement. He said, ``To renew American leadership in the world, I 
will strengthen our common security by investing in our common 
humanity. Our global engagement cannot be defined by what we are 
against. It must be guided by a clear sense of what we stand for. We 
have a significant stake in ensuring that those who live in fear and 
want today can live with dignity and opportunity tomorrow.''
  Mr. Speaker, while we have the most highly skilled military in the 
world, it is easily recognized that the world's conflicts will not be 
solved at the barrel of a gun. Instead, they will be resolved through 
serious discussion, hard work, reconciliation and diplomacy, all 
methods this administration has endorsed. Our partnership with the 
United Nations and our international partners will be invaluable in 
this process.
  We must review our diplomatic and military stance and give strong 
consideration to redeploying our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, 
reducing the size of our military and, in its place, change our 
outdated international policy to reflect a message of change, a message 
of hope.
  Additionally, Mr. Speaker, our Nation and the world at large would be 
greatly served by a worldwide cease fire, a ``time out'' to work out a 
rededication to diplomacy in the form of negotiation, reconciliation, 
humanitarian assistance and dialogue. The sooner this could be 
accomplished, the sooner we can move towards a conflict-free world, a 
world that all of our children can go to sleep feeling safe and wake up 
knowing they will be safe for another 24 hours.
  I was pleased to see that former Senator George McGovern has joined 
me in calling a time out. Actually he called it on his own, but we did 
it at exactly the same time. In the Washington Post this weekend, or 
last weekend, Senator McGovern wrote, and I quote him, ``Like you, Mr. 
President, I don't oppose all wars. I risked my life in World War II to 
protect our country against genuine danger.''
  He continued, ``But it is the vivid memory of my fellow airmen being 
shot out of the sky on all sides of me in a war that I believe we had 
to fight that makes me cautious about sending our youth into needless 
conflicts that weaken us at home and abroad, and may even us weaken us 
in the eyes of God.''
  Mr. Speaker, today I urge our President and our Nation to seriously 
consider our actions and our policies that come at the end of a gun or 
the launching of a missile.
  I am encouraged greatly, however, by the leadership of this new 
administration. Under its guidance we will live up to our international 
commitments and we will be judged by what we build, not by what we 
destroy.

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