Date: 2007-02-12
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. as already has been noted this evening. tomorrow the House will begin a 3day debate on the question of whether or not we support the escalation of the War in Iraq by supporting the Presidents policy to- send over 21.000 additional troops to Baghdad. what is called the surge. but is in fact an escalation of the war and of the exposure of our American troops in Iraq. It is an important debate. and it will be an important vote. It will be a very simple proposition: Either you support the escalation or you do not. This is the vote that the American people have been asking for now for many. many months. They certainly expressed it in the election. They have expressed it since the election where we see time and again they are telling the country. they are telling those of us who are in the Congress of the United States that they do not support this policy. they want an exit plan. they want our young men and women brought home from Iraq. and they want the Iraqis to take responsibility for the political decisionsthat must be made if Iraq is in fact going to be a unified country. if Iraq in factcan proceed along a road to building democratic institutions and hopefully finally building a democracy. But none of that. none of that will be done by the troops from America. None of that can be done by the troops from America. The fact of the matter is that that must be done by the Iraqi people. But there will be those in this debate who will be defending the Presidents failed strategy in Iraq by attacking the Presidents critics. They- ask. what message would America send to its troops in combat if Congress votes to repudiate the Presidents plan? What message. indeed? Mr. Speaker. the question really is. what message did Congress send to our troops from the very beginning of this miserable war? What message did Congress send to the troops in the beginning of this miserable war when they voted to go to war based upon the lack of proper evi-. dence. false evidence. manipulated evidence and. in fact. outright lies to the American people and to the world about the situation in Iraq. and certainly a war that was not vital to the interest of the United States? What message did. Congress send when it allowed the President to go to war without enough troops to secure the peace? What message did the Congress send when it allowed our troops to go into combat without proper armored vehicles? What message did Congress send when it allowed our troops to go into combat without proper protective body armor? And what message did the Congress send when it allowed the President to continue a failed course in Iraq with no adjustments in strategy? What message � did Congress send when it allowed the President to effectively draft American volunteers by continuing their tours of duty over and over again? And what message did the Congress send to our troops. indeed? But there is a new Congress now and there is a new message for our troops. By raising objections to the Presidents failed strategy. and by demanding a new course in Iraq and the immediate and responsible redeployment of our forces. we will send a new and clear message to our troops. Our message to the American forces in combat is that we will not let you fight and die forever in Iraq with no plan to get you out. with no exit plan. Our message is that we will insist- that the Iraqis take responsibility for their country and the building of a democracy. and that soon American forces will be brought home or redeployed to fight the real war on terror. Our message is that the American forces will not be used to fight Iraqs civil war. Our message to the Presidents few remaining supporters in the House and Senate is. do not exploit -ourbrave troops in combat in a desperate and vain effort to bolster aweak President. Do not use our brave men and women serving in Iraq to -cling to a misguided policy that is dangerous for Americas interests and for its troops as well. Join us in opposing the escalation of the war in Iraq. and when we see that history is now repeating itself. where once again the administration is prepared to send our soldiers into Iraq without proper equipment and without proper training. demand. instead. a new strategy to get America out of Iraqs civil war. to get Iraq to take responsibility for its own future. and to use our troops for the proper mission. to defend America.