rising and setting sun make us good stewards of your blessings give us opportunities to help solve the problems in our world by using our minds to produce creative solutions inspire our senators as they abide in your presence make them receptive to your guidance fill their minds with insight and wisdom their hearts with resiliency and courage and their bodies with vigor and vitality today give them the grace to thank not of what they can get but of what they can give empower them to practice conciliation without compromise place your arms of protection around them and their loved ones we pra e the united states of america to the republic for which a sad one nation under god indivisible with liberty and justice for  the clerk will read a communication to the senate washington d c two thousand and seven to the senate under the provisions of roll one paragraph break understanding rules of the senate i hereby point on will john tester a senator from the state of first of the previous sort of leadership time is reserved majority leader thank you very much mr president today the senate will be in mourning business during the period of mourning business first thirty minutes will be controlled by the majority centers lay mcc candy each controlling ten minutes and next thirty minutes will be controlled by the republicans following that division the remaining time until twelve thirty will be equally divided and told when the minority and majority senate will be in recess is tuesday to day for a lot of creative time the normal twelve thirty to three thirty the recess is longer because we have a two thirty p m briefing in room four zero seven on a national intelligence report that we just r unanimous consent that the time from three thirty to six thirty today also be equally divided and told between the majority and minority is objection without objection soared under the previous order there will be a period for the transaction of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each with the first half hour in the control of the majority in the next half hour and to control the minority later president this time there's no more important issues facing our country than the mission and the fate of the american servicemen and women in iraq and this means of course that the men and women of this body have no higher duty than to express ourselves openly and honestly on this issue to take a stand on where we stand truly meaningful to the primers gave us to do this it was our ability to fund or to not fund the war that's it and this is what republicans are insisting upon that the members of this body express themselves on the question of whether to bond or not fun the war in iraq by blocking a vote on the gregg funding resolution our good friends on the other side are blocking a vote on this most essential question the only question that really ultimately matters if we oppose this war to the point of action or do we simply want to make a point our colleagues say they want progress in iraq but by blocking a vote on the mccain benchmarks resolution they are blocking a vote that would actually set concrete goals for mr president let's be very clear about what happened last night our colleagues on the other side do not want to vote on whether troops should be funded period there is no more critical question at this moment we have the duty to take it up and we'll continue to fight for that right as a present for this president majority leader before the american people or is it relates to iraq is the surge the escalation of the war in iraq that's the debate that should be for this body and last night that was presented i offered down vote on mccain that is supporting the surge or a vote you know opposition to the surge the escalation sponsored by warner and eleven that's the issue before this body today this is a diversion this is a diversion we just finished the superbowl this is a trick played by the republicans the real issue before this body is surge or no surge escalation that's the did the the american people deserve a leader said i agree with you know the the senate i've often said to be the constants of the nation and there's only one hundred of us who represent three hundred million people americans expect us to speak up on the war americans expect us to vote on the war americans expect there's the vote on the issue of the surge now i understand some senators will support the surge some  senator specter and reintroducing the ladies practive personal data privacy and security act does not comprehend the data privacy package of protecting americans privacy and senator specter has been a  valuable partner on this thing with jordi leader reid for his leadership and commitment to now acting such privacy legislation this year they don't reintroduce this bill in two thousand and five we had high hopes would not bring it for the irony is why they refused to bring aboard the problems of data breaches remain a persistent and pernicious threat to americans privacy yesterday mr president we learn that the department of veterans affairs has lost its portable hard drive contained the sensitive personal information on as many as forty eight thousand veterans i can imagine what the veterans in my state feel about that i can measure the veterans in montana feel about that and then just last week there was a major data breach involving a state computer server in my home state of vermont it jeopardized the financial data  sixty nine thousand vermonters those personal financial information been stored on a computer used by the vermont agency of human services sixty nine thousand people in the state of barely over six hundred thousand not unique to vermont last month regular retailer acts this close has suffered a major computer breach involving credit and debit card purchases involving possibly hundreds of thousands of american consumers and even as disturbing as that is well they knew about the breach in mid december none of those customers are talked about so a month later you live what family members elect their home while you're overseas how do you think that makes you feel and according to the privacy rights clearinghouse more than one hundred million records containing sensitive personal information  involved in data security breaches since two thousand and five we need strong federal data privacy and security laws to protect america's personal data especially its address the ills of lax data we require that companies have databases with sensitive person information americans stabbers and implement data privacy and security programs in the information age any company that wants to be trusted by the public must earn that trust by vigilant are they protecting the databases they use to maintain the mission i vill requires notice when sensitive personal information has been compromised american people need to know whether it's a government agency or a private company they lose your sensitive information your social security or your addresses or anything about you you have a right to know their whole and then permission about you they lose it you have the right to know it's good laws we also have tough criminal penalties for anyone who would intentionally willfully conceal the fact that data breaches occurred but that breach causes economic damage to consumers one thing you learn as a prosecutor somebody knows they may face the police coming for the never to be a lot more careful and then finally we address the important issue of government use of personal data this would require federal agencies to notify affected individuals when government data breaches occur you know we should never have to worry about our government having this information on us and losing a certain just the last two or three years we've seen so many millions of files that been lost or put in jeopardy that we live in a world in which our government is also is increasingly turning to the private sector to get personal data that they in some instances the government is going to the private sector to get information they couldn't legally get on their own so we put this first and foremost right in the front that is going to be protected and we have to know if the government falls down on the job this is a comprehensive bill not only deals with the need to provide americans  notice when they've been victims of the data breach now it's a deal as the underlying problems of lax security and lack of accountability to help prevent data breaches occurring in the first place you know today americans live in a world with their most sensitive personal information can be accessed and sold to the highest that are just a few keystrokes on a computer and our privacy laws greatly lag behind both the capabilities  resolution government and upwards on people to provide security services and an agreement on oil sharing now i'm not new to this position i never wanted to go to war in the first place who gave their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice i know what's going on there with the families and i also know when we got to iraq there was no weapons of mass destruction but the destruction happened and it happened fast now mr president no one can ask more of our troops they are brave they are courageous they have fought valiantly after four years of fighting where are we interact with the united states going to war between different ethnic and sectarian groups now i've told you what i'm against but let me tell you what i'm for i'm sure for the warner biden levon resolution and the leadership who produced it john with a man and woman supports them the senate opposes this plan because we think it is reckless the bipartisan resolution says the objective of all u s strategy in iraq should be to encourage iraqi leaders to make political compromises to foster reconciliation and strengthen the unity government this is what i consider essential there as the primary objective military strategy should be maintain iraq s military operations should be confined to the gulf we show up they don't something's really wrong with the bipartisan resolution goes on to say in the nations in the middle east to develop peace in the middle weighs seventy nine recommendations and they've all been cast aside the iraq study group calls for diplomatic and political efforts a change in that primary mission to move our troops out of iraq and if they don't want to give us a vote on john mccain to prove this escalation one way or the other that's our constitutional duty you know the president says he doesn't need congressional consent to put the money behind it and how about putting the money behind it when they come home and they need us not only with words but they need us in the budget process and i don't  the parliament well always fifty percent of the troops show up the their own argument doesn't show up we show up with twenty one thousand more troops the prime minister left the benchmarks and set a precedent me conclude by saying this a great military should not be a substitute for a weak iraqi government not our congress nor the american people will abandon their troops but the best way to support our troops is not to send more in remarks of the senator from maryland obviously nobody has stalled the debate on troop increase or anything else to do with with the conflict in iraq in fact i think that's a positive thing because there isn't anything more important in my view then debating this important issue and as a senator from maryland said supporting our troops i do have a profound disagreement though that non binding resolutions that have been offered do anything other than encourage our enemy and undermine our troop morale and i would wonder why it is that we some so many are insistent that we proceed forward on non binding resolutions when in fact we know what the power of congress has when it comes to war it's not to supplant the commander in chief it's not to have five hundred thirty five micromanagers but it is the power of the purse and yet it is the very amendment that senator gregg the senator from new hampshire has offered that the majority leader has denied us an opportunity to debate and have an up or down vote on and that's what the vote yesterday was about it is not to cut off debate it is the make sure the debate continues and that the very positions that have been a spouse by members of the united states senate are not only fully debated but there's opportunity to vote on those positions at least two members on the of the majority senator dodd and senator feingold have made it clear that they believe that the power of the purge should be exercised to cut off funding to support this new plan forward while i disagree with them i do respect the fact that they actually intend to vote for something that would make a difference in the outcome as opposed to the non binding resolutions that have been offered by senator levin and others you know mr president i don't understand why it is that the critics the president's critics in the critics of of what is happening in iraq why they won't take yes for an answer yes as a senator from maryland said november the seventh obviously iraq was on the minds of the american people and it is one of the reasons why frankly the majority then majority is no longer the majority there were critics on the other side of the aisle who said that the secretary of defense needed to be replaced now we've confirmed a new secretary of defense secretary robert gates there are those who said what we're doing in iraq is not working so we need a new commander and indeed we have confirmed unanimously a new commander of coalition forces in iraq and there are those who said that we need a new plan in iraq and lo and behold the president announced a new plan after a link to consultation you know what i think there's a fair amount of revisionist history or selective memory going on here for example there are some who said that the president did not consider in coming up with this new plan the provisions of the iraq study group of course this is a via partisan group that made seventy nine different recommendations but i would challenge the critics who say that the president ignored the iraq study group report to look at page seventy three of that report where they unanimously a vive partisan group say they could support a temporary surge of troops to secure baghdad if it was necessary and indeed if you look at this new way forward that is precisely what it is a temporary surge supporting iraqi troops to provide an opportunity not only to clear but to hold baghdad and then to build and begin the political reconciliation process is that is necessary for stabilization my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are saying that we don't want to debate when the truth is they are denying us a right to vote on some of the key resolutions that define the new of the debate in this congress we want to debate we want a debate but we want to be a fair debate and we want to be representative we want to expand and extend the debate so that we can fully in exam examine and discuss what is its stake in this central front in the global war on terror we want a whole and comprehensive debate and an opportunity to vote today if our friends on the other side of the aisle are serious when they say they don't want to block funding for our troops then why are  offered by senator gregg that would allow them a vote on that important issue now i disagree that we should ever cut off funds to support our troops while they are in a time of war but i think that if you really feel like what is happening in iraq cannot be justified if you really feel like we've already lost and we're merely sending more troops into harm's way with no chance of accomplishing the mission that i would say that the only real vote that batters would be one that would cut off the funds to allow that to happen that would be the moral decision to make i simply disagree with the judgment i don't believe all is lost i do believe that this new plan this new commander this new secretary of defense has a reasonable chance of success that we all agree that the consequences of failure in iraq are not simply something we can walk away from the iraq study group said that failure interactive results in a regional conflict most likely ethnic cleansing where the sectarian violence would spiral out of control perhaps very being in other countries to defend the various sectarian parties to that conflict and we know from sad experience what happened in afghanistan after the soviet union was defeated by the afghan rebels and where the taliban and al qaida set up business in afghanistan and use that as a place to train and recruit and then to launch terrorist attacks against the united states such as what occurred here on september the eleventh two thousand and one where is the plan of the critics of this new way forward in iraq what is their plan to avoid a failed state in iraq where is their plan so avoid the kind of regional conflict conflict and the humanitarian crisis that will most likely occur if in fact we don't try to support this new plan forward and bring stability to iraq long enough so where the iraqis which is their responsibility can engage in the reconciliation process in the political process necessary to stabilize that country which is in their best interest which is in our best interest because we know that if things spiral out of control in iraq leave iraq and it becomes a failed state or becomes a killing field or ethnic cleansing that we will most likely have to return at even greater loss of blood and treasure and so i would ask the new majority since the senator from maryland mentioned the election of november the seventh what is your plan to criticize maybe ok if you're the minority but if you're the majority surely you have a responsibility to offer a constructive alternative it is not constructive to merely criticize the new plan it's going to be executed by the new commander unanimously confirmed by this congress and a new secretary of defense and i must say with all due respect it is not supporting our troops to send them into harm's way if in fact our colleagues believe that all is lost and they cannot succeed i do not believe that but if in fact they truly do believe that then they should stand up and be willing to vote on the only resolution that would have an outcome on that determination and that is the greg amendment and it is because we've been denied an opportunity to vote on that only amendment that counts that this debate continues it was not cut off yesterday merely a fair process was secured for those of us who think that all of us ought to be represented and we ought to have more than one vote rather than be railroaded in this process mr president i yield the floor off a broader debate on the big issue of the day and that is how are we going to deal with the situation in iraq and i think mr president the vote failed not because as was reported in some newspapers republicans didn't want to debate the issue but rather because we want a full debate on the issue the importance of this issue in the stakes associated with its outcome a full debate not one restricted by one party in the senate full range of views on this issue deserve to be heard they deserve a voice here in the united states senate american people deserve that debate surely the americans in uniform who are fighting and dying deserve that debate here in the united states senate this president saturday i attended to welcome home ceremonies for national guard units both performed so perfectly in fighting the global war on terror the hundred fourteenth air wing so national guard unit in sioux falls south dakota has been deployed all over the planet they've been in afghanistan they've been in iraq sixteen different places since two thousand and one after the terrorist attacks and in each case performing with distinction they support an f sixteen mission and have been utilized extensively in fact seventy two percent i believe of all the members of that unit have been deployed someplace in the last five years as we've been fighting this war on terror and mr president they and their families i believe they've deserve a debate here in the united states senate about the future of that mission that they've been undertaking then a lot of debate around the country a lot of debate here in washington about what to do next and we have before us now a plan which is a change of strategy incorporates more involvement by the iraqis security forces in terms of their military also their political structures their government they have certain benchmarks that they have to meet and economic requirements that they have to comply with regarding the division distribution of oil revenues a whole range of things that have given us a new opportunity a new opening to get this right with the situation in iraq and i believe the families of those who have served and sacrificed certainly deserve to have a a restricted debate here in the united states senate a fold of a where the full range of views the full range of options that are held by the american people can be adequately voiced i also attended a welcoming home ceremony mr president for one hundred forty seventh field artillery first battalion charlie battery in yankton south dakota this is a unit which has contributed mightily to the war on terror and suffered greatly they've had four members of their unit who never came back killed by i e d s sergeant richard shilled sergeant daniel chuka sergeant allen cocoa and sergeant greg wagner the young americans who will never be with their families again and also they had a young sergeant in their unit who has suffered debilitating injuries brain injuries that he continues to receive intensive medical medical treatment for and perhaps will never be the same they had a young specialist brian to navy from plane content south dakota who suffered injuries from which he is still recovering a unit mr president that has suffered greatly in this war on terror and yet there is a tremendous resilience and commitment dedication to the mission in the area in which they were involved it was with training of iraqi security forces specifically the iraqi police in the in the area of baghdad which is why it was  so very dangerous for them and the i d f that have killed in seriously injured so many of our young american soldiers who are serving in that region did four of their comrades in and as i said a couple  who couple of very seriously injured and they and their families i believe mr president who have sacrificed so greatly and when i go to these events i obviously have opportunities to interact with the families with those that these soldiers left behind  and it does is heartbreaking to see the separation the the consequence of and the cost of war and at the same time mr president we have to realize that when we get into a conflict like this that it's not just about what we're doing today it's about securing a better safer more secure future for the next generation americans and that's why this debate is so important many have argued that what's happening today in the middle east in iraq is simply a regional conflict or a conflict between different sects within iraq but frankly mr president we all know this and you don't have to be a a rocket scientist to see what happens when these terrorist organizations are left free to pray in areas like that where there's not a lot of control and security that they begin to use these places a sanctuary  are and i believe that's why when we have a debate we need to have a debate that reflects the full range of options and the full range of views that are available to the senate when it comes to the future of iraq the again the discussion about consequences of failure the discussion about plans going forward and right now we have a plan in front of us we have a strategy that's been put forward by the president ited states by his commanders in the region we have a new commander on the ground general david petraeus and we have some new troops heading into the area we've changed there are changes in the rules of engagement this may be our last best shot our last best hope of being able to get this right and we've engaged this debate here on the floor of the united states senate mr president which again in my view is sends entirely the wrong signal entirely the wrong message to our troops in iraq and to our enemies who i think interpret that these messages these signals that we send is a lack of resolve a lack of will lack of willingness to finish what we started and more importantly ultimately the the people who i think perceive what we do here the reason this has such great weight and such great rat gravity is of the people who are the primary receivers of the messages that we send our troops in the field i think it's very difficult mr president to say to those troops who are day  day out putting on the uniform of the united states of america performing a mission that we've asked them to do which we have pointed out has i think grave consequences not only for that immediate region but for the entire lebannon in the palestinian territories all these terrorist organizations and attacks mr president are orchestrated by extremist organizations that want to kill and destroy americans and we have a responsibility mr president debate here to make sure that when we're putting young americans in harm's way that we are allowing a debate to go forward that examines the full range of  the full range of options that are available the united states senate frankly mr president the one that that matters i think the most in terms of the options that we have as a nation is united states senate comes down the issue of funding and and frankly we don't have  opportunity in this debate to talk about what the real tool the united states senate has when it comes to this issue and that is the issue of funding we've got non binding resolution there was a debate non binding resolutions that they are non binding but they're not meaningless because they sent an important message and that is that we are not supportive of the mission that our troops are undertaking there but at the senate is serious the senate is serious about doing its work and if there  are well meaning and well thought thoughtful people on the other side of the aisle who want to have this debate then we ought to get down to what real options what real tools are at the disco all the united states senate when it comes to to having any kind of a role and what happens in the future of iraq and that is the issue of funding and frankly mr president the the leadership on the other side has said in this debate we are not going to allow you to have a debate that includes that rain that option that includes the other options that have been proposed out there some on the other side talk about troop caps withdrawal timelines but ultimately fundamentally the real issue here mr president if the other side is serious is let's have a debate about funding because that is the tool that congress has its disposal and if that's not a part of this debate we are not serious about this debate or the range of options that ought to be heard and a lot of the voiced here in the united states senate this present i see i have other of my colleagues i think want to speak to this issue and so i will yield back the balance of my time senator from massachusetts evening the republicans said no to an honest debate about what is best for our troops in iraq our national security and for the american people our men and women in uniform have done everything that we have asked them to do they've served with dignity honor in valor they have served in iraq longer than american forces fought in world war two it's been said on this floor by republicans and democrats a this doesn't cry for a military solution it cries for a political solution and resolution and still we have a president that is relying on sending additional twenty to thirty eight thousand troops more to what is effectively a civil war the cost in blood and treasure has been and staggering more than three thousand americans have been killed so far including sixty four from massachusetts or than twenty three thousand have been massachusetts that had a higher percentage of soldiers that were killed and viet nam than any other community in our state high school class after high school class at the high school class going to united states marines and they were in the thick of the fighting with devastating losses calahan poor trip to iraq and killed just ten days ago and the services in that community have took place just this last week hundreds of thousands of iraqis have been killed and millions of fled their homes or even their country we spend hundreds of billions of dollars on the war already and today the president asking for hundreds of billions of dollars more president bush insists on his policy of escalation for most of us in congress are increasingly convinced that is the only realistic strategy american people do not support further escalation of this war the legislation which we seek an honest debate is intended to make a record of who is on the side of the american people and opposes sending tens of thousands more american troops into this civil war despite the clear results of the november election our republican colleagues are not prepared to face the truth on iraq their internment to avoid a debate on the most important national security of our time they're willing to allow tens of thousands of more young men and women to be dropped in the cauldron of a civil war the cost in precious american lives is the reason not to end this mistaken and money come from mr president it comes from the children's health insurance program as the president budget under funds the chip program by eight billion dollars that program provides health care to low income children as has the bipartisan support here in the senate and the house of representatives they do extraordinary difference because the quality of health of millions of children the of children who are qualified for this because the federal government doesn't provide the help and assistance to the states those children are going to get covered make no mistake about it we're taking those resources that ought to be devoted to the chip program children's health insurance program and sending them to iraq it comes from our children's education no child left behind because this budget underfunded the no child left behind reforms by almost fifteen billion dollars what are we saying mr president we're not going to get the well trained teachers that this legislation requires we're not going to have the adequacy of the supplementary services to help those children in the high schools we're not going to move towards smaller class sizes we're not going to have the effective program to bring parents and we're not going to have the real kinds of examination of these children to find out what they need in terms of help assistance in their class know because shipping billions of those over there to iraq the children the children twenty three thousand children are in the streets of philadelphia today have dropped out of school in philadelphia today twenty two thousand children have dropped out of school in cleveland ohio it's happening all over the country and what are we doing to send a variance of dollars that ought to be there for prevention programs help stop those children for dropping out of school help and assistance for those children to get back into school so they're going to have useful and productive lives they are the ones mr president that are paying for these wars they are the ones that are paying for the wars are seeing is are just able citizens the president cut sixty six billion from the medicaid which is a life line to millions of retirees and the disabled the children i was there mr president when president johnson said you work hard you pay on in into the medicare programs pay on into those programs and we guarantee you that you're going to have the health care that you need for the rest of your lives that is a commitment we made and now we  skimming on it we didn't provide at that time prescription drug program we provided and one eventually that served more for the drug industry and the h m o s that it did for the senior citizens we're cutting back on health care health care for our seniors and and help and assistance for the disabled it comes from our workers mr president who are looking for good jobs to support their families because the president  one billion dollars from programs to train american jobs for the future how many speeches will we hear and hear about competitiveness and where your problems that we're facing in terms of the world economy how we're going to have redouble our efforts in order to be competitive to have a new industries that are going to provide new jobs new benefits and new opportunities for our citizens every member of this party every make an edge some place in their state over the next week we know that and what are we doing of massachusetts mr president we have two hundred seventy five thousand people who are unemployed and we have seventy eight thousand job shop quite area areas vacancies in our employment situation the only thing that's lacking training we have twenty four applications for every opening or training people want the training to get the skills to be able to participate for the family and what does this president do cut that program that's part of a cost people are asking back home this a president people are asking in my community down into bed put in paul river and lo and lawrence the whole yoga has to choose it's in springfield all over those kind of who's going to stand up for us not only the loss of their sons and daughters from those communities but they see that the lifeline to their communities the children the every elderly the or those that are the most vulnerable in our society they are paying the price  the president's budget make no mistake about it who is paying the price mr president they are paying the price the neediest people in our and then it comes from the poor who are struggling against the bitter cold cuts seventeen percent of the funding for the low income energy assistance program that helps low income families to heat their homes maybe it's warm in certain parts of this country but it's cold as can be in many others and there are a lot of needy people in those cold areas where you have a completely inadequate fuel assistance program now this administration has cut back on that program year after year after year and this year is no different seven  percent reduction most of the elderly people the poor people in my state need to have their oil home heating oil filled three times a year this won't even let them get one tank of fuel assistance in their in their homes over the course of the year they are paying a fearsome price the poor pay some price seeing their funding diverted  the conflict and the surge in iraq this a president this is a war that never should have happened it's a war that should be brought to an end if you ministration lies allowing it to go on and on and on mistake after mistake after mistake terrible wars have an effect not only on our troops or paying the highest price but on our children and our elderly and our schools and our workers and the poorest of the poor here at home make no mistake about it while the president or just ahead with the surge in iraq the american people need a surge here at all americans see the cost of their health care and the cost of college going up what about a surge in our health and education policy to help meet their needs what about a surge in those areas mr president mr president i have introduced legislation which would require the president get the authority needs from congress before moving forward with a further escalation in iraq i intend to seek a vote on it unless the present changes course the debate about is what is best for our troops and our national security our forces of service great valor they've done everything they've been asked to do sending more of them into a civil war will not make success any more likely we have a responsibility vote on this issue before it's too late american people deserve to know where the republicans stand and where the representatives in the congress of the stand and i look forward to that debate and a vote at the earliest possible time that the president will present the center south carolina how much rise today to speak about one of the most important issues of our time the worldwide war on terror and i have to say i was disappointed to read in this morning's roll call that many of my democrat colleagues are just using this debate for the two thousand and eight elections rather than focusing on the real damage that the resolution we've been discussing will do to our national security one of our greatest presidents theodore roosevelt once said it is not the critic who counts the credit he said belongs to the man who actually is in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood who strives valiantly who cares who comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming the credit roosevelt said belongs to the man who spends himself in a worthy cause who at the best knows at the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly mr president at this very moment our commander in chief and those he commands are varying greatly our men and women in uniform are paying with blood sweat and tears yet many in this body prefer to sit in the stands and offer criticism rather than support for the past fifty years the middle east has been a cauldron of brutality war and despair the region's instability threatens the entire glo and reaches and reached our shores on nine eleven with a stark awakening this is why we are involved in the middle east the future security of our whole inland is tied directly to a successful outcome not only in iraq but  afghanistan and lebanon and the palestinian territories and a number of middle east countries that harbor evil man who foment hate through a perverted version of islam yet as our efforts in iraq encounter fierce resistance from a determined and evil enemy support for our efforts is why i'm here in congress instead many of my colleagues prefer to support a non binding resolution that would express disapproval of the president's plan to reinforce our troops in iraq voting for this resolution is not leadership it's criticism criticism without the courage of offering real solutions mr president while this resolution maybe toothless force of law its symbolism is dangerous voting to condemn the president's plan is a vote of no confidence in the mission that we have told our troops to fight and die for but is also less of a slap in the face to general petraeus just days after we voted unanimously to support his leadership of our troops in iraq godspeed general was one of my colleagues said before introducing the very resolution that would undermine the general's authority and his plan for victory this is not leadership we were elected to make tough decisions that requires understanding of our choices selecting the best choice and then following through but i'm afraid the critics in this body do not acknowledge the real choices before us there are only three cars to continue the unworkable status quo second to admit defeat and withdraw and start to renew our strength until we win mr president i respect my colleagues who disagree with the president's strategy in iraq but only if they exercise leadership and support an alternative solution one that proposes a serious path to victory or announces the feet and hands our involvement immediately not only in iraq but throughout the middle east because america will no longer have any credibility to carry out our work in any part of the world if my colleagues do not support sending reinforcements to iraq they should introduce legislation blocking that action while i believe this is shortsighted and wrong it would at least be genuine leadership my hope is that we will stop trying to second guess past decisions in order to lay blame and instead remember that we are locked in a struggle much larger than iraq it is a struggle of security hope and freedom versus hate despair and fear and the battlefield is the entire world we must understand the stak and demonstrate real leadership this is not the president's war it is freedom's war and we all share the responsibility for the outcome mr president a century or a century later teddy roosevelt is still correct the critic who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better is destined to be relegated to that terrible place with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor  only one there is only one policy worthy of the blood and sweat of our troops it's a policy that completes our mission with dignity honor and victory mr president i thank the chair reserve the balance of my time and yield back the senator from oklahoma thank you i have not come before except once in the two years i've been here to discuss the war in iraq i've been to iraq i had experience in iraq after the first gulf war as a medical missionary there  and i'm i'm very much concerned as to how the world will read us what we know is that enemies try to defeat us not by trying to be is on the battlefield or in iraq they try to defeat our will they try to defeat the will of the american public senator de mint just talked about leadership leadership is laying out the real consequences of our actions  what are those consuls what next what's going to happen next what's going to happen next you know we've heard this morning that we're trying to delay this resolution we're not trying to  it saying we wouldn't have a debate that's what we're having we're going to debate on it right now the fact is is we believe you'll have a resolution that says you support our troops in this group of resolutions and unless we get some semblance of saying we want to send a signal to our troops that we're supportive we shouldn't have a rule that precludes that so politics aside and the next election aside in the presidential election side what does it mean to the american people about what we end up doing in iraq that's the question we should be acting asking and we should be making sure that the mistake that we do not make is to have an ill informed american public about what that what the consequences will be regardless of whether we should be in iraq or not we're there we can change that the question comes what does the iraq study group say they say we need is secure baghdad they said we needed reinforcements to be able to do that they said we need more funds to make a difference in people's lives these are the star funds that go to the generals to actually improve can we accomplish something iraqi or do we walk away here's what happens when we walk away number one there will be a genocide in iraq today the minority su scatter out of iraq and those in doubt will be killed today the iraqi the northern iraqis the kurds what will happen to them they will be seen as if world for god and full blown civil war what will happen to the kurds this isn't a this is a group of thirty six million people have had a homeland since out of them in part genocide was committed against them by saddam what will happen to them they will be seen as a risk to turkey in europe turkey already has problems with its kurdish population in its east today what will happen in lebanon probably civil war what will happen in jordan in europe what will happen to the sunni gulf states as they now fear iran and its dominance this is a war of which iran wants us to leave why do they want to leave because they want to empower themselves to be the dominant force in the middle east we can talk about all the resolutions about how we disagree because it's basically political posturing you can disagree with it but as the senator from south carolina let's you're going to put something into force of action it isn't leadership it is criticism we need to calculate whatever we do in this vote based on what the outcome of that calculus it's going to be not by giving bellicose speeches that set up false choices that aren't there the fact is we have an obligation to the very people the innocent people in iraq today we can walk away from that but history will judge just harshly the estimates are there will be five million people displaced out of iraq seven hundred thousand and a million additional iraqis that will die do we not have an obligation to make that not happen do we not have an obligation to do what is in the best long term interest of this country is it in the best long term interests of our country for us to get out of iraq that's what we ought to do is is that in our best long term interest how does that fit with the war on terror and our ability to conduct that war when we create in iraq by withdrawing a new stay that is run by al qaida and run by the shia that will in fact have the funding to dominate and the international arena with terrorism and hatefulness and murder and pillaging of innocent people it's not as simple as everybody here wants to make it sane and it certainly shouldn't be political but that's where we're going the very comment that we can't have a debate on supporting the policy that we that we that we will not allow resolution that says we're going to support our troops now i think politically for me why doesn't why don't they want that because that'll get the highest number of votes that's why they don't want that as a part of that because that will become story not the story that somebody has postured in a position that said well intended and well meaning and well believed in that they don't think a surge or a reinforcement iraq is correct america is at a crossroads the crossroads is whether or not we will fulfill and carry out the response of the with these some of which we added to ourselves  very position but whether we will fulfill a we will be judged by history to undermine many of the steps that the wreck study group said which is in the president's plan nobody knows if this work but i will guarantee it won't work if we send a signal to those that oppose us that this is it what we don't we're not a company all they do is said what certainly more more more of iran influence more dollars from iran coming into iraq more to defeat us if you defeat the will of the american people and by doing that that's our problem if we allow that to happen as leaders in this country then we w be responsible for that five million displacement for those million deaths and the millions that will follow that when you have a middle east dominated by iran with a nuclear weapon we should think long and hard the american people should not respond just to their urge to get out of iraq but respond to the well thought out consequences of what happens next and what happens next is a disaster not only for the people of iraq for the people of the middle east but also for the national security of this country and our ability to carry out a foreign policy in the future i pray i earnestly pray that we will consider the actions here in the words here and a lot of what comes next not in terms of politics but what happens to our country denying the heritage that we have of sacrifice for freedom and liberty and denying that it cost something and walking away from that we will reap that which we so as we walk away from  disappointing day for the united states senate and for the united states of america because the debate that we should be having on this floor which is partially taking taken place around procedural issues should really be a debate about what is happening in iraq and the new direction that we should be heading in iraq is disappointing as well that it has been postured as somehow a political day debate from the other side back to the matter is that what happens in iraq today mr president and what happens in iraq in the months and years ahead is in fact perhaps the most important issue that we can face here in the united states of america and in the world and it is important that this body elected by the three hundred million americans each of our respective states grapple with this fundamental defining issues of our time and it's also important that as we grapple with this issue of the future of iraq of iraq and an evolved involvement of the united states that we try to move forward in a manner that is a bipartisan matter at the end of the day the only way in which we are going to achieve ability in the middle east and we're going to bring our troops home which i believe is a common goal all that is shared by the hundred members of this body is if we develop a bipartisan approach to getting it done and yet at the end of the day we can't even seem to get beyond a procedural obstacle to get to a debate on the central issue that was presented by a bipartisan resolution led by some of the most distinguished members of this united states senate including senator warner and senator levin and others we cannot even get past the procedural problem for us to end up having a discussion and a vote on that very simple issue and so i would brethren and sisters on the other side that they join us in getting through this procedure roadblock so that we can have an effective date and a vote on a question that is before us concerning the future of iraq and the president's plan on how we move forward i'm disappointed as one united states senator that today we are not here on this floor debating the alternative resolutions that were put out in the last week which were bipartisan in nature and in deciding how to move forward as a united states senate and very disappointed that we have not been able to get there let me also say that for those who have said that the political posturing is taking place on this side i don't believe that that is at all the case the fact of the matter is that what we have been trying to do on this site is to try to have an open and honest debate and again underscore underscoring the reality that we're to find our way out of the quagmire that we find ourselves in iraq that it's going to take a true bipartisan effort to get us to a place where we can say we have peace and stability in the middle east and that we have bought brought our troops home and i hope that as we move forward in this discussion that will be able to find some of that bipartisan consensus at the end of day when we look at what's happening in iraq we need to recognize the reality that we need to know and remember the three thousand and one hundred men and women who have given their lives on behalf of the mission that the president assigned to them in that country we need to remember the twenty three thousand men and women in uniform who today are wounded and who are carrying the scars of the war with them day by day and will so for many of them all the rest of their lives and we need to remember the hundred thirty seven thousand men and women who are on the ground in iraq today i will say that the bipartisan resolution that we put forward with senator warner and senator nelson senator collins and others recognizes that we recognize the bravery of the men and women who have given so much of their time and their life in iraq and we recognize the need for us to support our men and women on the ground in iraq but we also recognize that what the american people are asking us to do is to chart a new direction for iraq i've heard so my colleagues on the other side is that there is criticism on this side that all we're doing is being critical and not offering alternatives the fact the matter is that we are attempting to come up with a new direction for iraq and that is what is embodied in the warner levin resolution it is in fact a new direction and a new strategy in iraq so mr president i would ask the members of this body and i would ask the people united states of america to consider what are the options before us in my view there are three options there a plan a plan a is a plan which was put forth by the president after several months of deliberation in which he concluded that what we had to do in order to be successful in iraq it's a stand twenty one thousand five hundred additional troops really in real terms that's about forty eight thousand additional troops assigned to the effort mostly in baghdad that's plan a some people have called it an escalation some people have called it a surge but that's the heart of his plan it's a plan that he announced in early january a plan that he reiterated reiterated again in the that we assign twenty one thousand five hundred troops to baghdad the question we all ought to be asking ourselves is whether that will work or not we'll plan a work well mr president i believe that those who have studied the issue in great depth would answer the question and say no no it will not work no it will not work because operation going forward and doing the two thousand and six just some seven months ago showed that it did not work then and when that didn't work we went in with a surge of some seven thousand troops in august an operation going forward together a number two and again that did not work so today we go in with twenty one thousand five hundred additional troops  all the support troops that are going to be necessary and what's going to be the result of that and never will in my view mr president we've been there and we've done that and it hasn't worked and so we have to look forward to a new direction so i believe that plan a the president's plan is not a plan that is going to work and there's plan b plan b is being advocated by many including some who have demonstrated here in washington who call each of our offices every day and that i just bring our troops home today end of story it's over it's a precipitous withdrawal let's get out of there and get out of there right now and the stakes of the past have compounded the problems in the middle east and in iraq to the point where we can't put humpty dumpty together again not all the king's men of all the king's horses could ever put humpty dumpty together again is what some people would say because the problems in iraq today are so severe well hi mr president that one senator rejects plan b as well i don't believe that we can afford to move forward with that kind of pursuit at this withdrawal mr president there is plan c and plan c it's really the plan of trying to move forward in a bipartisan way so that we can achieve success in iraq success again being defined by the ability in iraq and in the region and by bringing our troops home now i know that there are lots of people in this body will have much more experience than i have and i know there are lots of people have studied this issue extensively over a very long period of time and yet it is amazing to me that when you have a group of people in a bipartisan way coming forward with a new direction you have the president and others of the minority party essentially rejecting that plan of going forward together in a new direction when i look at the iraq study report mr president and i look at names like former secretary of state james baker former attorney general ed meese former secretaries they lawrence eagleburger former united states supreme court sandra day o'connor former united states senator alan simpson i see all of these republicans who are saying that we need a new direction going forward together mr president i believe that that's what we ought to be doing in this body and i believe that that new direction going forward together is what is  in the resolution in the bipartisan resolution that was put together by senator warner and senator levin and others and it's that kind of new direction that we ought to be debating and discussing here on the floor of the united states senate today because the president i would ask unanimous consent for an additional up to five minutes to finish my remarks without objection so we're mr president when one looks at this group of elder statesmen which include not only the republicans whose names i mentioned but they include a steamed elder statesman who are also democrats like lee hamilton orden leon pan william perry and charles robb when you see those kinds of elder statesman who have taken a year to try to figure out how we deal with this quagmire in iraq you have to say those recommendations should be paid very very serious attention the recommendations are many but they are important because they show the depth of thinking that that commission went through in coming up with those but in essence in essence what that bipartisan group of elder statesman said to the people of america is that the way forward requires a new approach the way forward requires a new approach they talk about the external approach which is to build an international consensus on how we move forward in iraq a talk about a new a new diplomatic offensive which is important if we are to succeed because there are too many nations in that part of the world and around the world who have been sitting on their hands letting america do it alone they have to stop sitting on their hands of all camilli we are going to cheese the ability in the middle east they talk about the iraqi international support group and that kind of a group would be a group that would make sure that the efforts on reconstruction and building the peace and security in iraq are in fact successful where is that group it hasn't been there it's been the united states alone moving forward on this effort we need to have the international community involved it talks about dealing with iran and dealing with syria they're part of that region like it or not this group of elder statesman of america have said we need to get ill with those countries we know the limitations we know the threats that they also  and body and present the united states of america but we need to bring them into the dialogue and call them only we're going to bring stability to that region he goes on with a whole host of other recommendations on the internal approach helping the iraqis help themselves it says that what we do is we need to have we must require the iraqis to have performance on milestones that we need to push them hard on national reconciliation that we need to make sure that the iraqi government takes responsibility for security and for their military forces that they establish a functioning police force and that they establish a criminal justice system that does in fact work and the list goes on seventy nine recommendations that's a way forward a new approach that's what we ought to be talking about here mr president on the floor the united states senate today is how we move forward and i look at this resolution was quite together by some of my opinion colleagues of which i am a proud original cost sponsor and i say that at least we have tried on a bipartisan basis to figure out a roadmap for how we got to move forward together as democrats and republicans as americans on this issue which is the defining issue of our times i see the names of people like senator warner i see senator collins i see senator levin i see senator nelson others who have been involved in this effort and what we're trying to do as a group is to say we have to figure out a way of charting a new direction ward together much like the elder statesman did in coming up with the iraq study group recommendations and yet we are being refused the opportunity to even engage in a debate on a resolution that essentially says this is a direction that we propose to the president in how he move forward together mr president i would hope that the and the day here in the discussions that are going on between some of the leadership that we are able to come to some agreement because i believe that there is too much at stake i believe there's too much at stake not only in the middle east but there's too much at stake for the united states of america and to the free world at the end of the day it's going to take republicans and democrats working together to try to chart this new and successful direction for how we move forward in iraq receive a message from the house of represent important she on a television program said that iraq is being debated virtually everywhere in our country debated at kitchen tables business places workplaces schools the only place in america that iraq is not being debated ensuring that i say senate we're debating whether we should debate that was what went on yesterday it's what's going on today a defaced about whether the debate about iraq s in the united states senate it's unbelievable we have a closer vote on a motion to proceed to the debate and the minority party in the united states senate vote nearly unanimous late to say no we shouldn't that they we should be debat g i don't understand that at all mr president why would we not want to engage in this national discussion about what is happening in iraq what are our obligations what is our national interest with respect to these issues this is not a war against terrorists in the main it is a sectarian violence that is occurring in iraq yes there are some terrorists in iraq i understand that but it is largely sectarian violence shia and sunni sunni and shia let me make a point about iraq that i think is important the dictator that used to exist in iraq no longer exists yes he was a madman and a dictator we've on earth vast graves interact to show that nearly a half a million people were murdered by the man who ran that country but he's been executed and the people of iraq of at the opportunity to vote for a new constitution the people of iraq have had the opportunity to vote for a new government things have changed in iraq but now we have in iraq what is largely a civil war sectarian violence things have changed what is the role that having saddam hussein been executed a canoe constitution having a new government what is the role for the united states and its soldiers is the role to continue to be in the middle of a civil war in iraq to surge additional troops as the president suggests that's what was to be debated here this week in the united states senate but at this point we still cannot debate that because we're debating whether we'll be able to debate it is unbelievable to me only here in this small piece of real estate one of the wonderful places on this earth the united states senate do we have a serious debate about whether we should debate we should move very quickly past this issue of a motion to proceed and bija the substance of this issue on behalf of this great country of ours there is a majority in this congress for a bipartisan resolution and i emphasize bipartisan resolution senator warner a very distinguished american republican former chairman of the armed services committee senator levin the same warner eleven when we get t hundred eleven resolution which disapproves of surging additional american troops to iraq and deepening our involvement in iraq a majority of the united states senate will support this there is a clear majority for that resolution the question is can we get to that point and i hope in the coming hours the minority will relent and give us the opportunity the opportunity american people would expect to exist here in the united states to de one of the most important questions of our time mr president this is about obstruction is about political maneuvering it's about protecting the white house it's about a lot of things unfortunately it ought to be about this country's national interest this country's best interests got to be about the soldiers we have asked to don america's uniforms and go fight for this country and what is best for them as well we had two months ago mr president general abizaid say this in open testimony here in the senate i met with every divisional commander i said and your professional opinion if we were to bring in more american troops now  iraq does it add considerably to our ability to have cheese achieve success in iraq and they all said no that's what the commanding general said two months ago in testimony before the united states senate why did they all say no and here's what said the reason is we want the iraqis to do more it's easy for the iraqis to rely on us to do this work i believe that more american forces prevent the iraqis from doing more from taking more responsibility for their own future and finally mr president a week ago the head of our intelligence services came to the united states senate and testified in open public here's what he said al qaeda is the terrorist organization that poses the greatest threat to u s interests including the homeland that's from the top intelligence chief in our country and then here's what he said he said al qaeda continues to plot attacks against our homeland and other targets with the objective and inflicting mass casualties and they continue to maintain active connections and relationships raiding it radiating outward from their leaders secure hideout in pakistan let me say that again our top intelligence person says that al qaida is the greatest terrorist threat to our country they direct their operations from a secure hideout in pakistan mr president question if al qaeda is the greatest terrorist threat to america and our intelligence chief says it is directed from their secure hideout in pakistan osama bin ladin continues to talk to us in his missives that they send out if we have twenty one thousand additional soldiers to search anywhere why on earth would we not use those twenty one so s to eliminate the greatest terrorist threat to our country and that is the lemonade the leadership of al qaeda but no that's not what the president recommends he recommends we send twenty one thousand additional soldiers into the neighborhoods of baghdad where sectarian violence is occurring in massive quantities and a civil war exists with due respect and i do respect the president he's wrong and i believe the majority of the senate would say he's wrong by voting for the warner levin resolution but in a byzantine twist we on tuesday morning find ourselves defacing the question of whether we should debate one of the central questions of our time that is unworthy the united states sen what is worthy of our senate of this senate and i'm proud to be a part of it what is worthy of us is to have on the floor of the united states senate the great questions before this country the questions the american people asked this morning and discussed this morning all this country what is our role here what is happening here how if things change in iraq what is the greatest threat to our country how do we deal with that threat what about mr negroponte pointing out that the greatest terrorist threat qaeda and what about the fact that he says they are in a secure hideaway in pakistan and what about the fact that no one has done anything about it and what about the fact that if twenty one thousand soldiers are available to be searched that the president has do not understand this logic that out there's a lot to be said about these issues all of us in this chamber want the same thing for our country all of us love this country all of us respect our soldiers and we'll do everything to make sure that we support them all of us want this country to do well and to make the right decisions but we have in the last five years now any war that has lasted longer than the second world war we have in a war that has cost us far too many lives and too much of america's treasure been put in a situation in which there has been dramatic change and yet the policy doesn't change this is not the circumstance for which we went to war in iraq all of that intelligence it turns out was wrong colonel wilkerson who served as secretary of state colin powell as aid for seventeen years and was presen in the construction of the information that led to the presentation of the united nations testify here and he said publicly it was the perpetration of the hoax on the american people that's not me that's someone who had a distinguished record serve seventeen years with colin american people whatever happened happened and we went to iraq and saddam hussein is now executed they have a constitution and a government but it's time long past the time for this country to say to the country of iraq this that hussein is gone you have a new constitution and into government now the question is this do you have the will to provide for your own security because if you don't no one in the world can do it for you do you have the will to take your country back this is your country not ours this country belongs to you not us you have the will to provide the security for a free iraq because if you do not i say to the people of iraq american soldiers cannot for any an indefinite period provide order and security in iraq for you you have to make that judgment and you have to provide the understanding that your responsibility is for security in iraq this is not mr president a circumstance where we are trying to embarrass anybody we're not trying to say to the president says he you have an awful situation you've created shame on us that's not what this debates about all of us understand the things that changed this debate is about what do we do at this point do we agree with the president that we should send twenty one thousand more american troops into baghdad and surge and deepen america's involvement in this war quite clearly if we are allowed to get to this debate and have a vote on warner eleven a bipartisan amendment this senate will say no we believe it's the wrong thing and it would be the first step in beginning to change policy say the president we believe you must change policy and then use our energies and our efforts to go after the leadership of al qaeda they're the ones that murdered americans on nine eleven and they still exist according to our intelligence chief in secure hideaways that's deal with the greatest terrorist threat to this country according to mr negroponte the head of american intelligence the greatest terrorist threat to our country they exist they live today he says  pakistan let's deal with those issues mr president as i indicated earlier all of us want the same thing for our country this is not about politics cannot be about politics it's about policy what works for america's future what strengthens our country what keeps our promise to our soldiers and what keeps our commitment to ourselves is one of the great symbols for freedom in the world that's why i hope we will get past this issue that is now impale this senate a debate about whether we should debate the hazard clearly ought to be yes we ought to get to the debate that is significant and important to the future of this great country of ours mr president your before mr alexander m you mr president for the last few weeks bipartisan group of senators has worked to bring to the floor a resolution expressing opposition to the president's proposal to increase american troops in iraq in an effort to have an honest thoughtful and productive debate they put aside their differences only to be run over by partisan politics i support the bipartisan resolution opposing the escalation i support an honest and open debate on a policy that clearly needs to change but i do not support what i saw take place in these chambers yesterday our soldiers and their families have sacrificed too much to have to accept the political obstructionism that is keeping this body from having a debate on the most critical issue our troops have given so much and they deserve much more than what they got from the united states senate yesterday the least we can do is to have this debate and the best we can do is to get this policy right for our troops i'd like to thank those who worked on the resolution senator levin and warner and senator biden and hago and others throughout their careers they have shown how much they care for the men and women in uniform in crafting these resolutions they showed us that when principled individuals from opposing parties care strongly about an issue politics doesn't always have to win out unfortunately some in this body still don't want to have a debate about iraq it's long past time to have this debate the american people have called for it our troops have earned it and we should be big enough to have it over three thousand american soldiers are dead more than twenty thousand have been wounded in combat over two thousand have lost their limb more than three hundred fifty billion dollars in taxpayer money has gone to iraq scores of iraqis are killed every day in what is essentially devolved into a civil war all across my state i have heard a strong and clear message from innocent change the course in iraq and push for the strategy and solutions that will bring our troops home we need a surge in diplomacy mr president not a surge in troop it is a message that was echoed all across this country from montana to minnesota from pennsylvania to virginia and fortunately there were those in this chamber yesterday that have not listened to that message who would prefer no debate this bipartisan resolution expresses a strong opposition of this body to the president's decision to stay the course and send an additional twenty one thousand american troops to iraq i strongly support this bipartisan resolution and implore my colleagues to allow this resolution its due course the people of minnesota like their fellow citizens around the country recognize what is at stake in iraq of the twenty two thousand troops involved in the surge nearly three thousand it's our president our from minnesota as i travel throughout our state i've spoken with many families who have paid a personal price in this war and i think of them often i think of claremont anderson from hoxton minnesota who drive hundreds of miles to attend public events in the last two years i just saw him and his wife nancy this weekend who braved seventy degree below zero when cho to come to an event in glenwood minnesota and when i see claremont anytime anyone even talks about the war he starts to cry that's because his son stuart an army reserve major was killed in a helicopter crash in iraq i think of kathleen was ika from st paul minnesota just last month her son james was it could junior was killed while he was patrolling on foot in an area near he was a sergeant with the minnesota army national guard first brigade the same unit whose current duty will be extended under the president's escalation sergeant musica was the third member of his unit to die within a six week period he was the seventh member deployment last spring i also think of becky warry of carrick minnesota that's near duluth she is a mother of twelve and a former state senator her son matt was killed when the army helicopter he was prowling went down north of baghdad i watched this gold star mother a woman who has adopted eight children comfort her grandchildren hold her shaking husband and stand tall for hours in a high school gym in finlayson minnesota where hundreds of people came together for her son's memorial service claremont anderson kathleen was extend that to lori our parents whose children made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country and they are among the many minnesotans who told me without apology that they want to see a change of course in iraq they pray that others will not have to experience their pain although i oppose this war from the beginning i recognize that many did support it but four years later we are now dealing with a dramatically different situation what we know now about the events in fact leading up to this war has changed dramatically the conditions inside iraq have changed dramatically our role there has changed dramatically last november citizens in minnesota and across the country voted for a new when in washington americans made clear at the ballot box that they were tired of the politics is politics as usual partisan bickering and that they wanted a meaningful and bipartisan change of course in iraq to the country to be willed or meant the president responded with a plan to escalate the number of american troops in iraq that is not the change in course that the american people voted for mr president it is not the change of course of the iraq study group recommended it is not the change of course that iraq needs to halt its civil war it is not the changing course that our military forces are and now distinguished senators from both sides of the aisle are seeking ways for this body to bring about the right kind of change the bipartisan resolution proposes a strategy that recognize the facts on the ground in iraq incorporates many of the recommendations of the iraq study group for years we have heard from administration officials from military officials and from the iraqis themselves that there can be no military solution in iraq stability can only did achieve through diplomatic and political solution this resolution called on the administration to engage other nations in the region to create conditions for the compromises between iraqi shiite sunni and kurds that will be necessary for peace furthermore the resolution calls on the administration to apply pressures on the iraqis themselves to stand up and take responsibility for their country by following the recommendations of this resolution the president would send a much stronger single signal to the iraqis who are not going to stay there that we are not going to be staying there indefinitely as of last thanksgiving this war has now lasted longer than world war two and after nearly four years of intensive military involvement in iraq including more than three thousand american deaths we have to be focused on reducing our troop presence in iraq instead of putting even more american servicemen and women in harm's way haven't we asked our men and women to sacrifice enough recently at the funeral for a fallen soldier i heard a local priest say that our leaders have an obligation to do right by our children when we send them to war he said that our children may be over six feet tall when we send them to war but they are still our children if the kids we are sending to iraq are six feet tall he said then our leaders must be eight feet tall i would add that if these folgers are willing to stand up and risk their lives for our country then those of us in congress must be brave enough to stand up and ask the tough questions and push for the tough solutions claremont anderson kathleen was vica and becky warry are standing tall mr president the parents who i met with this weekend whose kids are supposed to be coming home this month but are now staying much longer they are doing everything to be brave and stand tall the four hundred members of the minnesota air national guard with deployment ceremony i attended sunday in minnesota they're standing tall the teenage brother and sister i met with there who will see not only but their dad not only their dad but also their mom be deployed in the next two weeks those two kids are standing tall my friend senator webb whose son is serving bravely and is going to speak with us briefly he's over there and he's not afraid he's standing tall the injured soldiers in the v a hospital in minnesota recovering from traumatic brain injuries and in their wheelchairs with their strength and their spirit they too are standing tall and i would say to my friends across the aisle by having an honest and open debate on this war and on this resolution we in congress can also and finally stand tall our constitution says that congress should be a responsible check and balance and presidential power congressional oversight of iraq policy is long overdue now we have been seeing this bipartisan resolution and bipartisan work challenging the president's proposal for an escalation of american  chief our president does not enjoy unlimited power on behalf of the public members of this body have a responsibility to exercise our own constitutional power in a fair minded bipartisan way to insist on accountability and to demand a change of course i'll commit lee the best way to help our soldiers and their families is not only to give them the respect they deserve but also mr president to get this policy right i would hope that my friends across the aisle would see the merits of this resolution and the urgency of having an open and honest debate on this issue our troops and their family deserve nothing less thank you very much and i would like to emphasize my support for the resolution and the resolutions actually that were so painstakingly put together by a number of senior senior senators from both sides of the only to be denied a full debate and an open vote for the procedural motions yesterday evening once and churchill once wrote about watching good ideas getting nibbled to death by ducks last night we saw this phenomenon  action we had before us a measure that would allow this congress to speak clearly of its concerns regarding the woeful lack of leadership by the president on an issue that affects our nation and our military people like no  and the other side including some senators who had helped to draft the resolutions and had their names on it one of the ball downfield rather than giving the people of this country the debate they not only need but are calling in every public opinion poll quite simply there is no way other than through a strong resolution or restrictive language in an appropriations bill for this body to communicate to this administration that it so called new strategy is lacking in the most crucial elements that might actually lead to a solution in iraq this is not a strategy it is a one dimensional tactical adjustment true overarching national strategy it relies too heavily on our military while ignoring the overwhelming advice of those with long experience in this region that we must pursue robust diplomacy in order to bring this misguided effort to a conclusion there have been allegations by those on the other side that we who take this position are not supporting the troops i would submit that the best way to support the troops would be for this gratian to outline and pursue a comprehensive strategy that includes the diplomatic measures that will be essential to ending our involvement mr president a reminder during the vietnam war our military killed more than a million enemy soldiers anomie soldiers by official count of the present hanoi government actually that count is one point four million anomie soldiers most oppress but without a clear strategy and without adept diplomacy that was simply not enough and from the very beginning in iraq this administration has consciously neglected its proper diplomatic duties has attempted to frame the debate over iraq's future as one of military action on the one hand and a set of vague guidelines to the iraqi government on the other as if the rest of the region were somehow not crucial to the eventual outcome this in and of itself is a recipe for continued violence and for american failure in iraq it's widely known that the iraqi government lacks the power to control the myriad of factions that are causing chaos the latest national intelligence estimate not only confirms this it indicates that these factions have been breaking into so many different components that it isn't even fair to call this problem one of sectarian violence any longer the administration knows this most of the administration's strongest supporters know this their reaction has been to increase the pressure on an impotent government and to go to the well again and again asking for even greater sacrifices from the military while ignoring their most basic responsibility which is to put together a clear diplomatic effort that will bring full context to the issues that face us and in short order and our involvement this is not supporting the troops this is misusing the troops and with respect to the troops i would caution any political leader who claims to speak on behalf of the political views of our men and women in uniform our military people are largely a mirror of our society particularly in the enlisted ranks and their political views are as diverse as our own as one example last year a survey of those in iraq indicated that more than seventy percent believe that the united states should exit iraq within a year that was a year ago mr president as i have said before it is inverted logic to claim that we should continue to fight this war on behalf of the troops the fact is they are fighting this war on behalf of the political process they deserve political leadership that is kno that proceeds from an assumption that our national goals are equal to the sacrifices that we are asking them to make for the last five years from before this invasion this administration and its supporters have refused to admit the most fundamental truth of the entire war it is a truth that was echoed over and over again last month by expert witnesses during more than a dozen hearings before the foreign relations committee and the armed services committee both of which i am privileged to serve upon it is a truth that this administration and the architects of this war too often refuse to recognize perhaps because they fear it might potentially embarrass them in the eyes of history the unavoidable truth is that this war will never be brought to a proper conclusion without the active participation of the other countries in the region all of them we hear stories of the saudis in the sunni insurgency we're told by this administration that iran is equipping and training portions of the shia militias we hear that turkey and iran are quietly cooperating to limit the regional influence of the kurds we hear that syria is the favorite starting point for many al qaeda guerrillas who infiltrate into al anbar province and we know that the entire region is being flooded with refugees from the violence in iraq including especially jordan and syria none of this is surprising indeed all of it was predictable and predicted even before the invasion of iraq i recall many of the speeches by you mr president on those points what is truly surprising and unsettling is that this administration has not developed an overt diplomatic effort to bring order out of this chaos in a way that might allow us to dramatically decrease our presence in iraq and at the same time increase the stability of the region increase our ability to fight terrorism and allow us to address teacher challenges elsewhere in the world these countries have historic political and cultural ties to iraq they're going to be involved in iraq's affairs in the future long after the united states departs the region is in our national interest and as a great nation it is our obligation to take the lead in causing each of these countries to deal responsibly with iraq's chaos and with its future we did exactly the same twenty  one after the invasion of afghanistan bringing the major players to the table including india pakistan and iran and we should do so now this approach would have additional benefits beyond president it would begin to loosen the a natural ally dance with tween iran and syria which could in turn increase the potential for greater stability in lebanon israel and the surrounding territories it would begin to bring countries such as  to a proper role of responsibility inside the international community at this point mr president i would cite an important historical reference in one thousand nine hundred seventy one china like iran today was considered a road nation china in those days was already a nuclear power it had an american war on its borders in vietnam a war that it was actively assisting we the united states took the initiative aggressively opening up china through diplomatic energy and over time helped to bring china into the international community we should not be afraid of taking similar actions with iran and also by the way with syria the bottom line of all this is that this administration and its supporters must understand the realities that are causing us as a congress to finally say another is enough that the time has come for a new approach that the answer in iraq and to our fight against international terrorism and to our diminished posture around the world is for us to show not only our problems on the battlefield but also our leadership in the diplomatic arena that indeed we have an obligation to the men and women who have served so selflessly on our behalf to match their proficiency and their loyalties with the kind of thoughtful leadership that will bring this effort to a proper conclusion if there are other ways to convince this administration to change its an effective one dimensional approach to the situation in iraq i would welcome them but after five years of political disarray i do not believe it is so so i support mr president i have seven you know most concert requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders i ask unanimous consent that these requests to be agreed to and that these requests be thank the chair i came to the floor today to talk about the loss of a great soldier and a dear friend of mine but before i do that i do want to comment on a few things that we have heard discussed this morning  first our efforts on this side are to get an opportunity to debate and vote on the gregg and then gregg and then very simply stated i don't have the full text in front of me so supports our troops it says we should support our troops and not cut off funding i think that's a valid viewpoint we are who are traditionally this body has supported our troops that used to be  absolute baseline which everybody accepted but there are resolutely the main resolution that has been referred to here i fear goes in the wrong direction so we in time of war ought to debate and we will debate fully and we will hear everybody will have an opportunity to express their views and i think it's very important that we not only have an opportunity devoted to resolutions which have been discussed but all so to vote on the great amendment and as soon as we can get agreement to do that i'm confident that the leaders can move forward they have also heard on the floor a number of comments that people who don't support a cut and run policy and i have addressed previously the disaster of an immediate withdrawal from iraq in open testimony the intelligence community they h and slaughter of innocent civilians both shia and sunni there would be a tremendous increase in the death of civilians but even more frightening really the neighboring states would likely be brought in the sunni states would like to come to the aid of their sunni brother and if that had not already triggered the entrance of iraq into it on behalf of the shia it surely would and we could potentially be facing  a major middle east conflict with many states involved now i've heard it said that the leaven warner resolution as we chart a new direction for mr president we charte they'll take control and they will assume responsibility they need help in training particularly their please their police but they will take control that's where we need to be we can help take off the al qaeda and the other committed international terrorists the radical islamists but we need them to resolve this civil strife between shia and sunni and do so in a fair way including the kurds in the  now this happens to be the military plan that the baker hamilton group supported they said to naval the iraqi security military and police to take over we should send  some troops temporarily and that's what the president is doing adding another twenty one thousand to support them now is this going to work well again with the release of the national intelligence estimate on iraq and the open testimony of the leaders of the intelligence community they said it's an open question it's a tough decision but it's a best option we have yes they think there is a chance it will work and the iraqi government knows that this is their last best chance they had best make it work and they best get their police training them and their military trained and many people have called for bringing in other nations in the middle east and that's what the president and secretary rice have done to bring in other nations who will help rebuild the sunni areas and help provide support to the iraqis and others say well we there are some people who say we shouldn't have an unlimited commitment but the president has told not only this nation but prime minister al there is a time deadline really are committed to them but not indefinitely and if they don't take advantage of this opportunity it will be their country which will fall into chaos and be the battleground perhaps  embroiling them the entire region but certainly white thing out and causing great death and destruction in their own country so we do have a new direction got some are pushing of a resolution that challenge the president's implementation of the plan we are trying to be generals in say general petraeus who we just confirmed unanimously because he's such a great general who said we should have those twenty one thousand troops there challenging his military judgment in the implementation of the plan now i know many of my colleagues have followed military policy for many years but i don't think we in this body can determine for the generals what the proper level of troop commitments are they're the ones that take responsibility for the lives of their men and women to i'm message by adopting a resolution that say we oppose the president's plan implementation of this plan isn't going to change sending more american troops there but it will tell  goodnews boys this congress is opposing the president our chances look better to take over the country it will send a message to friendly countries that are trying to help the iraqis and tell them sorry guys we're not interested in winning this so you probably wouldn't want to waste your effort helping us and finally what does it send as a message to our troops we don't support the military plan they're being asked to carry out the men and women who are and also the mccain amendment now let me turn to another matter i matter with of sorrow i tell this body that a wonderful having come from the guard it was the youngest adjutant general in at the time and still by far the youngest adjutant general in missouri but he knew the citizen soldiers who made up a god he knew those citizens show soldiers and he respected them and they respected him and when i left office governor ashcroft took over he made him is adjutant general for the next eight years he served sixteen years and that time he not only built the missouri national guard to one of the finest units air and army national guard in america but he was very strong in establishing a guard presence on capitol hill it was at his urging that i went to my colleague wendell ford of kentucky and we set up a national guard caucus which today senator pat leahy and i proudly serve as cochairman of the caucus that  brought together seventy five to eighty members of this body to stand up for the necessary resources the necessary personnel and the necessary support of the guard when active forces in the pentagon tend to overlook them the guard is a better place today because of the leadership that general kieffer showed as he headed the national guard the adjutant general association as he worked with his colleagues throughout the country and as he worked through those he and those generals work to make sure the guard was strengthened the guard remembers him with great fondness  lieutenant general von missouri who had served in the guard under general keefe presented the flag to his wonderful wife marilyn his sons john and keith mr president i would ask that a separate statement that i have prepared be included in the record at this time without objection it will be included in the record i thank the chair senators breaking for weekly party line