Date: 2006-06-16
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the resolution before us today. I would like to first offer my gratitude to those brave men and women who are fighting or have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. We owe you a debt which we can never repay. Since the United States invaded Iraq. I have seen this as a highstakes gambit. If we were successful in not only defeating the Iraqi Army. but in the more difficult task of establishing a democratic government. we would be far down the road to affecting a paradigm shift in the Middle East. one. which would replace potentates. dictators. and repression with representative governments. transparency. and opportunities for both men and women. If we were to fail. the cost would be incalculable. It would be a reaffirmation for many in the world that the United States lacked the fortitude to see a mission through toits completion. It would embolden terrorists the world over. threaten those states in the Middle East. such as Jordan and Israel. that are friends of the United States. ] 1000 Regardless. the situation in Iraq is what it is. There is no question Iraq is a petri dish for terrorists now. Our main nemesis in Iraq is called "al Qaeda in Iraq." Thus. our activities in both Iraq and Afghanistan are now clearly linked to a global war on terror. There is no other way to view the situation. I am eager to build on the recent successes in Iraq. I truly hope that we have turned a corner with the.death of Zarqawi and the forming of the government. If voter turnout is any indication. theIraqi people are eager for democracy. They had a higher voter turnout in Iraq than we did in Virginia for our gubernatorial race. But make no mistake. what we are trying to do in Iraq has been and will continue to be extraordinarily difficult. Even with Zarqawi gone. there are many dangerous people who will stop at nothing to stop us. I dont support a public date of certain withdrawal from Iraq. Doing so creates an untenable situation for our forces and our Iraqi allies and presents a real gift of predictability to the enemy. But there has to be a sense of urgency. We are in a war that we have to win. but we cannot plod along indefinitely. Our Founding Fathers had 13 years .between the beginning of the American Revolution. the ratification of the Constitution. and the inauguration of George Washington. We dont have that luxury in Iraq. Our troops are giving their lives in Iraq. Our country is spending hundreds of billions of dollars. We cant pull the rug out from the under the Iraqis. but we cant babysit the situation either. We dont have time to waste on activities that are ineffective. We dont have money to waste on bad equipment and services. Some have charged that this Congress has been asleep at the wheel and has done no oversight. Thats not true. I have. Our committee has held four hearings on contracting practices in Iraq. including a day for whistleblowers at Halliburton. and I intend to hold more. Our subcommittees. particularly the one chaired by Mr. SHAYS. have held dozens of others. What we have found is a lot of mistakes in management and oversight. But remember. this is the first time we have contracted this extensively in a combat situation. Everything about doing business. everything in a war zone is difficult and costly. and it is disingenuous to deny this. If we are going to see this mission through successfully. th~ere must continue to be vigorous. comprehensive. constant oversight to ensure we stay on the right path. We should do everything we can to hasten the day when Iraq is able to handle its own affairs. Our role in Congress is to conduct the oversight that the people expect of us.