U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 16, 2006
MR. SPEAKER, the war in Iraq reached another troubling milestone yesterday with the announcement that 2,500 American soldiers have now been killed in the three-year conflict. In Massachusetts alone, more than 35 families have mourned the loss of a loved one, killed in action in places like Ramadi, Fallujah and Najaf.
And since President Bush declared an end to "major combat operations,' more than 17,000 troops have been wounded in combat.
Every Member of Congress supports the heroic efforts of our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the globe. These brave men and women in uniform, and their service to our country, should never be forgotten. We have the finest armed forces in the world and they represent the United States of America with remarkable courage, honor and dignity.
During a recent memorial service for a young soldier from western Massachusetts who was killed in Iraq, a Marine Commander paid tribute to our fallen service members by saying: "we weep at their passing, honor their service and cherish their memories." I would simply add that we are also grateful for the enormous sacrifice they have made for our nation.
We are here today in this historic chamber to discuss the future of a war that has already taken so much from so many. A war that a majority Americans now disapprove of.
In October 2002, when this institution first debated authorizing the use of military force, I raised a number of concerns about a pre-emptive war with Iraq including its cost, the lack of connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11, and the fact that Iraq was not a credible threat to the United States. I also believed that a pre-emptive strike would act as an effective recruiting tool for radical Islamic fundamentalism worldwide. For these reasons, I was 1 of 133 House Members who against the Iraq war resolution.
Unfortunately, as I stand on the floor of the House, nearly four years later, many of these concerns still exist. According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), the war in Iraq has now cost the U.S. taxpayer roughly $319 billion to date. That's $6.4 billion a month and more than $100,000 per minute. If you live in Massachusetts, $9 billion of your money has been spent in Iraq. And there is no end in sight.
I would point out to my colleagues that former White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey lost his job for predicting that the war would cost a mere $200 billion. From the start, the Bush administration has not been straight with the American people about the cost of the war in Iraq. And this partisan resolution does nothing to address that.
In fact, the White House has not been straight about most aspects of the war from the existence of weapons of mass destruction to the threat of the insurgency, and from Iraq's purchase of yellow cake uranium to Saddam's ties to al-Qaeda.
And with this resolution, House Republicans will simply rubberstamp President Bush's poor planning and mismanagement. I believe it is time for a new direction in Iraq.
More importantly, so do many of military leaders. Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni, Army Major General Charles Swannack, Army General John Batiste, Marine Corps Lieutenant General Gregory Newbold and others have all expressed real concerns about our future in Iraq. These are individuals who were deeply involved in the planning and execution of the war. And they do not like what they see.
As General Zinni recently said, "we are paying the price for the lack of credible plan. Ten years worth of planning were thrown away, troop levels dismissed out of hand...These were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policy made back here."
Mr. Speaker, like most Americans, I believe it is time for a new course in Iraq. I believe we need to develop an honorable exit strategy. I will vote against this resolution to give President Bush an open-ended commitment in Iraq. Let's bring the troops back home.
