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Iraq War Resolution

Floor Speech

Date: Feb. 13, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense Foreign Affairs


IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION -- (House of Representatives - February 13, 2007)

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Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, over the next 2 to 3 days, Members of Congress will come to the well and they will talk about the Iraq resolution. They will talk about troop levels and spending and funding and security, training, strategy, a lot of different things in a lot of different ways, with valid arguments on both sides. But I want to boil it down to something simple, something that I understand, something that means more to me than some of the things I mentioned.

There is a gentleman from my district, a Major Rick Simmons, a native of Pickens, South Carolina, an Eagle Scout, a Citadel grad. From time to time he has written me letters concerning different issues in Iraq. He is in Fallujah right now.

He wrote me a letter dated 5 February, 2007. It is a rather lengthy letter, but I want to read you one sentence from this letter:

``This is not Bush's war, it is my war, and it is the war of every volunteer here because we know how high the stakes are for this country.'' ``My war.'' That is what he says. ``This is my war.''

Rick, first to you and all your comrades over there, I say thank you and God bless you. I pray for you every day. But I want to tell you something, son; it is my war too. It is my war and my children's war and my children's children's war.

This is our war, ladies and gentlemen. This is the greatest enemy that we have ever faced in my lifetime, Mr. Speaker. And when I raised my right hand and put my left hand on the Bible, it was to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies. And it was to protect the protectors, the protectors of liberty, the protectors of democracy, the protectors of freedom. And if it takes a troop surge and a funding stream that is guaranteed, I will do everything I can to ensure the protectors have everything they need.

There is only one way out of Iraq, Mr. Speaker. There is only one way out of this war. Victory. Victory. I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and I urge them to vote against this resolution.

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