Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spoke on the House Floor today in favor of the Iraq Resolution. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
"Mr. Speaker, next month we will mark the fourth anniversary of the President’s decision to launch a war of choice against Iraq.
"Some of us came to the floor of this House in the weeks before the invasion to urge the President to take a different course.
"The White House ignored those appeals for restraint. The President’s mantra in Iraq was, "Bring it on." Those were his words. For almost four years, the President had a Rubber Stamp Congress that never seriously questioned his misguided policies in Iraq.
"It was the "See No Problems, Hear No Problems, Conduct No Oversight" Congress.
"When the President stood before the "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln in May 2003, the Rubber Stamp Congress believed the slogans, rather than the facts on the ground.
"When Vice President Cheney declared that the insurgency was in its "final throes" back in May 2005, the Republican Congress accepted that verdict without question.
"When the President unveiled his so-called "Plan for Victory" at the United States Naval Academy in November 2005, the old Congress dutifully parroted the talking points issued from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
"The days of the Rubber Stamp Congress are now over. This Congress will no longer serve as the mouthpiece for the White House. This Congress is finally standing up to do its job as a separate and co-equal branch of government.
"The message from the last election was clear. The American people have an uncanny ability to cut through the slogans and get to the heart of the matter. They understood clearly that more of the same in Iraq was not working. And the American people understand what both General Casey and General Abizaid told us -- that an escalation of more troops is not the answer; that it will make the situation worse, not better.
"Increasing the number of American troops in Iraq will put off the day when the Iraqis -- the Shia, the Sunnis and the Kurds -- must make the difficult compromises necessary to achieve national and political reconciliation. Putting more American forces into the middle of a bloody sectarian civil war will only lead to further violence and more American and Iraqi casualties. It is time for the Iraqis to assume more responsibility, not less.
"The Bush Administration has been wrong about this war from the beginning, and it is wrong again now. The recommendations of the independent, bipartisan Baker-Hamilton Commission for the responsible redeployment of our troops represent the best way forward. Unfortunately, the President has ignored the bulk of these proposals.
"To those who would suggest that having this debate will undermine our troops I say, "Shame on you." The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, put that canard to rest when he stated last week, "There is no doubt in my mind that the dialogue here in Washington strengthens our democracy. Period."
"Our men and women fighting in Iraq understand the strength of our democracy. They understand our duty to exercise our best judgment for America’s national security.
"What has harmed our national security is not the debate over Iraq, but lack of serious oversight over the Bush Administration’s decisions and conduct. What emboldens our enemies is not the exercise of democracy, but the misguided policies that have weakened our national security.
"Our national security is weakened when our credibility around the world is undermined by false claims regarding weapons of mass destruction.
"Our national security is weakened because the chaos in Iraq has allowed Iran to greatly expand its influence in the region.
"Our national security is weakened because America’s diminished standing in the world has eroded our ability to influence the actions of others.
"Our national security is weakened because we have diverted our attention away from completing the mission against the architects of 9-11 -- Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorist network -- who continue to operate along the Afghan-Pakistani border.
"We must change course. We must strengthen our national security position, not compound the errors we have already made. That is what this Resolution is all about. We want the President to join us in that effort. Let’s chart a new direction together now."