GOP Defections on Iraq Should Serve as a Wake-Up Call to the President

Floor Speech

GOP DEFECTIONS ON IRAQ SHOULD SERVE AS A WAKE-UP CALL TO THE PRESIDENT -- (House of Representatives - June 27, 2007)

(Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, over a 2-day period this week, two influential Republican Senators came forward urging that we begin to pull our troops out of Iraq.

Rather than seriously listening to these opinions, however, the White House, through its spokesman, Tony Snow, said yesterday that he hoped Members of Congress would give their Baghdad security plan ``a chance to unfold.''

Is Tony Snow serious? How long does he expect congressional Republicans to continue to blindly support the administration's failed policy? After all, it was the President who said earlier this year that we should see significant improvements by September. But now, General Petraeus says that simply is not going to be possible, ladies and gentlemen.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats and the American people knew that this latest administration plan would not bring stability to Iraq. We also concluded long ago that we needed to start bringing our troops home. But with an administration that still refuses to face reality, we need help from our congressional Republicans.

Let us hope that the statements made by Senators LUGAR and VOINOVICH will serve as a wake-up call to House Republicans to finally join us in changing course in Iraq.

Source