Washington, D.C. - Mr. Speaker – we went to war in Iraq in an irresponsible way; we should leave Iraq in a responsible way.
The Administration’s slogan of “stay the course” is not a strategy. More of the same is unacceptable. We must change course. The Bush Administration has tried to stifle debate here at home by shamelessly challenging the patriotism of those who question its approach. The time has come for a serious debate on this issue of utmost importance to the American people. We should bring our troops home as quickly and safely as possible.
But bringing our troops home is only part of a successful strategy for leaving Iraq. We must redeploy our troops in a way that does not unleash even more bloodshed and killing in Iraq, and does not create a vacuum that will be exploited by Al Qaeda and terrorist elements.
Our nation went to war in Iraq based on false information and gross distortions of the facts by President Bush and others in his Administration. Before the invasion, a number of us gave speeches on the floor of this House outlining the dangers of going to war in Iraq. The Bush Administration and the Congress chose to disregard the warnings that were raised by many people who had experience on foreign policy issues regarding the Persian Gulf region.
We have made many mistakes during the war, but many of the results of our invasion were predictable. As I said on this floor prior to the U.S. invasion:
“The President has presented a utopian vision of democracy breaking out in the Middle East after we invade Iraq. It is just as easy to imagine a scenario where difficulties in Iraq and the American action there fuel resentment toward occupying American troops and inflame the region against us, strengthening the hands of radical Islamic fundamentalists and making it more difficult to promote democracy and other U.S. goals in the region.”
Now, more than two and half years after the invasion of Iraq, those predictions have unfortunately proved true. The Administration utterly failed to understand the dynamics and history of Iraq. It failed to understand the opening that Sunni grievances and old rivalries would give to our enemies, to Al Qaeda and others. The Administration built its actions on a foundation of sand – on rosy scenarios and wishful thinking. We never had a plan to deal with the forces we were unleashing in Iraq and we are dealing with the consequences now. There have been over 2,079 confirmed American deaths in Iraq. Over 15,500 of our servicemen and women have been seriously injured. There have been reports of at least 30,000 Iraqi civilian deaths.
Having invaded Iraq, the United States has a moral and national security obligation to do everything possible to prevent the situation from spiraling even farther out of control. We must devise a plan to leave Iraq in a way that maximizes the chances for stability and minimizes the possibilities of an eruption of a full scale civil war.
The insurgency today consists primarily of former Baathists who lost their grip on power and who fear for their future security in a country dominated by the Shia. They have resorted to a bloody campaign of terrorist attacks to prevent the establishment of a central government. The Bush Administration has failed to develop a political strategy that will end the violence.
This conflict will not be resolved by military force. It requires a diplomatic and political solution. Any resolution must address the Sunni fears that are feeding much of the violence. At the same time, any resolution must recognize the facts on the ground – the Kurds will never again allow themselves to be victimized by a central government in Baghdad and the Shia. They will never again allow themselves to be dominated by others.
The Bush Administration’s efforts to achieve a political solution have been grossly inadequate. However, the prospects for a political and diplomatic resolution are less likely in the face of a total immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. The more likely result would be a surge in killings of innocent Iraqis as different groups compete for power in the vacuum left by the immediate and total departure of American forces. That bloodshed would be a great stain on our nation and a terrible blow to our already shattered credibility. Moreover, just as the precipitous U.S. disengagement from Afghanistan following the Soviet withdrawal from that country opened the door to the Taliban regime, the immediate and total withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq - without a political plan in place - would most benefit extremist and terrorist groups.
Our strategy for leaving Iraq must also recognize that Iraq’s neighbors -- Iran, Turkey and Syria -- all have strong interests in the future of Iraq. Our plan must ensure that the United Nations and the international community will work to prevent others from exploiting the situation in Iraq at the expense of the Iraqi people and the security of the region and the United States.
The Senate Democrats, under the leadership of Senators Harry Reid and Carl Levin, have proposed a plan for bringing our troops home in an orderly way that minimizes the likelihood of an outbreak of a full scale civil war in Iraq.
In the aftermath of the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001, the world rallied to our side. The international community supported our decision to go into Afghanistan to root out Al Qaeda. The Bush Administration squandered that international good will. Instead, it began a war of choice against Iraq. As many predicted before the invasion, that war has fueled the ranks of Al Qaeda and strengthened the jihadists. We must not compound the blunders of the Bush Administration by creating the conditions for even more bloodshed in Iraq and allowing it to become a haven and launching pad for terrorist activities.
This Congress has not had a serious debate on Iraq. Instead, the Republican leadership in this House has worked to hide from the American people the gross incompetence of the Bush Administration’s policies on Iraq. The time is long overdue for us to have a serious discussion on this issue of the greatest importance to the American people. Our troops and their families deserve no less.