Foreign Policy

Twenty-five hundred American men and women have died since this war started three years ago. Dozens of those are from Tennessee. Now we find out that, according to news reports, Iraqis might make the murder of U.S. troops an excusable offense and grant amnesty to those who killed our men and women. I find that repulsive and could not support the House resolution, which praises the same Iraqi government that is reportedly considering such a negotiation.

Today, on its one-year anniversary the "Out of Iraq" Caucus is putting its weight behind the only coherent, rational plan that will end the abysmal policy failure in Iraq and bring the troops home. Let me be clear. US troops have and continue to make valiant efforts, demonstrate unparalleled bravery and an unwavering commitment to follow an unrepentant Commander-in-Chief who refuses to take responsibility for his numerous mistakes. This war has become synonymous with corruption, mismanagement, faulty planning, duplicity, and an immeasurable loss of human life-the precious lives of 2,500 US troops and thousands of Iraqi civilians. Instead of dealing with these realities and fulfilling their Constitutional obligation to provide the appropriate checks and balances, Congressional Republicans have been intentionally disingenuous in their efforts to accuse Democrats of being unpatriotic, of not supporting the troops, and of wanting to "cut-and-run." Far from espousing any thing close to a "cut-and-run" strategy, H. J. Res. 73, the legislation introduced by Rep. John Murtha is the best plan available. It provides for a conclusion to the war and aspires to bring the troops home. The Resolutions will prevent more troops from being sent to Iraq, start redeploying US troops based on a timetable established by military leaders on the ground, and leave a contingent of Marines in the Middle East to respond to threats that destabilize our allies in the region or the national security of the United States.

The people of this country support our troops - knowing there is nothing inconsistent about having the deepest contempt for this war while expressing the utmost admiration for the soldiers on the front lines.

Our enemies do not have a first Tuesday in November plan; they have a plan for a caliphate, a plan to kill Christians, Jews and Muslims. We don't need a timeframe for November, we need a timeframe for victory in the War on Terror.

Yesterday, I, along with 20 other members of the House, requested Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald to expand his investigation to include possible crimes committed by the Bush Administration, specifically those that may have resulted from lying to Congress about pre-war intelligence.  At the heart of the CIA leak case is the fact that the Bush administration lied about pre-war intelligence and then later attempted to discredit a credible source who was going public with information that exposed those lies. If the president and other senior administration officials had not falsely claimed that Iraq had sought uranium from Africa then there wouldn't have been the need for Joseph Wilson to investigate those claims on behalf of the CIA, members of the Bush administration wouldn't have plotted to leak the identity of Valerie Wilson in retaliation for her husband's public statements, and Patrick Fitzgerald would be sitting at his desk in Chicago working solely as a U.S. Attorney.

When I speak on the House floor on the Iraq resolution, I want to be clear: Democrats strongly support our troops in Iraq. But the level of their sacrifice has never been matched by the level of the Bush Administration's planning. On every major aspect of the Iraq war, President Bush and his advisors have been wrong. They were wrong on the reason to go to war; wrong on the reception our troops would receive; wrong on the speed with which the Iraqi economy could finance reconstruction, and wrong on the willingness of the international community to join in efforts to stabilize Iraq.

I will continue the Democratic call for a new direction in Iraq. Our new direction will say to the Iraqi people: we will not be in your country indefinitely, we will not construct permanent bases, and we will not control the flow of your oil. We will work with you and your neighbors diplomatically to ensure that the reconstruction of Iraq is successful. We will do as Congressman Murtha advocates: we will "redeploy and be ready."

Want to win the war on terror? Want to deal with Iran’s nuclear threat? Want to stop the Taliban from retaking Afghanistan? Want to stop Al Qaeda’s new beachhead in Somalia? I sure as hell do. I’m tired of a national security game of half measures where the same people who took their boots off Osama bin Laden’s neck at Tora Bora when he was cornered, now think we have to stay bogged down in Iraq forever and leave these growing threats unaddressed.

Our enemies are thrilled we’re bogged down in Iraq. But we have a choice. It’s time to redeploy for victory in the war on terror. It’s time for Iraqis to stand up for Iraq. We know the verdict of our generals: the war cannot be won militarily; the only way forward is a political settlement. We need to listen to Gen. George Casey, the U.S. military commander in Iraq, who argued that our large military presence "extends the amount of time that it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self-reliant." To make Iraq self-reliant, we need hard and fast deadlines, not an open-ended commitment of U.S. forces. Our troops have done their job in Iraq. It’s time for Iraqis to stand up for Iraq.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell’s announcement regarding recent raids on terrorist insurgents is another sign of our military’s success in finding and killing terrorists. Congress is now debating a very clear choice: to continue that success, or leave Iraq in the heat of the battle—before victory is achieved. It’s never been clearer: When your boot is on your enemy’s neck, it’s not the time to quit.

We were promised a debate on Iraq, and this is not that debate. This resolution is an entirely political document. It confuses support for the troops and the Global War on Terror with the War in Iraq. It amounts to nothing more than Republican propaganda that was drafted by political spinmeisters. The War on Terror and the War in Iraq are separate conflicts. To combine these issues is a disservice to the people who bravely serve their country every day and diverts attention away from what we should really be debating: Iraq.

We must bring emergency spending under control and eliminating a separate set of books for activities outside the regular budget is one important step in achieving fiscal discipline. I strongly support the McCain amendment, which will require funding for war operations to be considered in the same fashion as every other function of the government. It is essential that the men and women of our military have the tools they need to continue their missions, and this amendment will ensure that the Department of Defense budgets accurately for continued operations in the War on Terrorism.