thing is dark and it if anything is low res if anything is wanting supply if anything is in error correct create in this legislative body a unified force for good in which its members strive to find common ground made the leaders who do bait in this chamber be led by their conscience and speak to you before they speak to each other make clerical reader communication to the senate washington d c may fourth two thousand and seven to the senate under the provisions of rule one paragraph three of the standing rules of the senate i here point here by appoint the honorable sherrod brown a senator from the state of ohio  bill also close us filed on the bill and ition close was filed in the most to proceed h r four thousand ninety five water resource development act votes will begin monday about four p m and there will be several votes at that or tuesday we have a lot to do next week as i have indicated before i'm going to move to the immigration bill on wednesday for debate on that can start on monday the following monday we also have i believe the opportunity complete our budget for the year i spoke to senator conrad on a number of occasions i've spoken to the speaker on this issue and it's very close to being in a position we can bring it here to the  my understanding the house will find conferees on monday we will do a do that on the next day it's a privilege motion there's ten hours of debate and there's some procedural issues with dealing with motions to instruct and we'll find out how many there will be on either side so that will take up a lot of time the word a bill is extremely important passed overwhelmingly in the house help we can do the same here this present my understand there are two bills at the desk due for a second war preparations for american troops overseas and so forth and for the purpose as far as i would object any further proceedings with respect to these bills on block objections heard the bills will be placed on the calendar mr president this week  secure fully funded the troops and change the course in iraq has taken almost four and a half years but it appears the president finally is willing to consider what most americans and members of congress have long  we must change course in iraq move toward a strategy will make our country more secure it's present it took six years and three months for the present to accept congress is a co equal branch of government prior to last wednesday the present base who had ignored the constitutionally framed equal branch of government legislative branch of government so from that perspective it was a positive step forward during the first six years and three months of this i should say during the first six years of this congressional term the president basically ignored us it was a big rubber stamp and anything that the republican congress not the president wanted they gave him but yesterday the minority leader and i met with present she's a staff josh bolten to further that discussion that started wednesday in the white house i thought the meeting was constructive comfortable and it's clear that at this early point in the nothing is off the table we'd be to meet again early next week meanwhile i'll be talking with members of my caucus with similar connel with our experts and we'll continue to work on ideas for a way forward in a quagmire in iraq i know that many of my republican friends here in the senate feel strongly that a change of course in iraq strategy is needed one that holds administration iraqis countable for real results i know that many of my republican friends intend to be part of that solution on the way forward i look forward to working with them as i have a last few weeks work is now in progress and will work to reach agreement o an american death toll of more than one hundred making it the deadliest month of the year for our troops in iraq one of the deadliest in the fifty one months of this war the presence on special inspector general for iraq reconstruction released square report last weekend that painted a dispiriting picture of waste ineffectiveness and failure to achieve even minimally satisfactory results in iraq despite burning through most of the twenty billion american dollars plan for reconstruction most iraqis are without basic necessities like electricity and clean drinking water only a third of our actual dinner regularly attending school and seventy percent are suffering from symptoms of trauma that will likely paralyze entire generation were counting on to harvest the seeds of democracy rocky prime minister all knowledge of shia is accused of sabotaging efforts for peace and stability by firing some of the country's top law enforcement officials for doing too good a of come combat and violent shia militias present bush speaks of pressuring the iraqi people to take responsibility for their own future yet while american troops are fighting and dying to secure the country the iraqi government's plenty a two month summer vacation we throw around a lot of numbers and statistics to highlight the fate there's no high stakes here or we must also remember that behind each of these numbers  returned home give that up without a parent physical injury and his friends were not so fortunate he said at home though almost immediately john's wife lori knew he was not well she said and i quote i noticed in the first week he wasn't sleeping you start to get a little snappy he started crying he started throwing things john told his wife about the four right roadside bomb attacks that he survived  is present the article further goes on to say among other things but the worst his wife said were the times he was called to bag up body parts of dead soldiers they've been blown up by an improvise explosive device on patrols ahead of his platoon with her husband displaying the same classic symptoms of p t s d or post traumatic stress disorder i'm reading from this article she checked him into a privately owned psychiatric hospital where he was treated for major depression related to post traumatic stress disorder he was given and i depressants and while he was there she said his first sergeant called to inform them he would be listed as abs without leave and his paycheck would be canceled if he didn't report back to a squadron anorak one of the many regular army units whose tours have been extended laurie shoop said her husband told her first s the first sergeant about his bout with p t s d post traumatic stress disorder the sergeant's response to him she said was and i quote how is it different from the way you normally act and of course she said that really upset  it was as if they didn't care but his mental problems persisting i continue reading the article john shoop met with doctors at ocala and central hospital at nellis air force base doctors there tried to help them on a full sixteenth the day before you're supposed to return to fort drum his condition took a turn for the worse while at home he took too many drugs described as a suicide attempt and lori had a rushing back to the divine knowledge hospital stomach was pumped he was put on supervised care he continues to struggle with his illness now it's another transfer from the hospital at nellis air force base near now near his home and of attitude walter reed here in washington we all know that war comes with casualties and i talked about john chew i've read quotes from the lorry shoop his wife this present she's also occasionally she had to be hospitalized she had a nervous breakdown our soldiers always what is our mission today when he was asked that question he replied and i quote all we do is drive around and wait to get blown up and of quote our troops are in interjected between warring factions kicking down doors trying to sort shia from sunni our friend from foe meanwhile afghanistan is deteriorating osama bin laden remains at large and al qaeda has rebuilt it strengthens our current strategy is not a strategy for success it's a recipe for more death and destruction over burdening our military and leaving america less secure mr president today's us today newspaper they talked about a lot of john shoots in fact they said there are a hundred fifty thousand brain injuries caused by what has happened in iraq to our troops one hundred fifty thousand is what usa today reports in its publication we approach these discussions with the white house with an open mind and assist their desire to move forward but john and lori shoop and all americans deserve to know what our resolve to change course in iraq will be our course cannot be one to waver from doing everything that we can to get the president to change the mission to transition the mission in iraq fifty one months of what is happening in iraq is not good for the country certainly not good for the world period for the transaction of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each put today for general speech is no legislative business they'll resume debate on monday on the food and drug administration program and should pick that up monday at about four in the afternoon we expect and just general speeches today one thing i want to tell you about the washington post writes about this morning that the headline says clinton changes tone on iraq a story saying amid a flurry of backroom negotiations yesterday afternoon senator hillary rodham clinton took to the floor the senate floor to join appropriations committee chairman robert byrd in offering a bill that would sunset the two thousand and two authorization of military operations in iraq it would take away the president's authority to wage war in iraq five years to the day after was granted meaning bush would require be required to convince congress to re approve it in october you can read that article we have linked to it from our capital news website in fact you can find the latest political news and participate in our poll of the day today which is who won thursday's republican presidential debate ten candidates give us your vote capitol news dot org pu senate stands adjourned until two fifteen on monday may seventh