Expressing Sense of House that Deployment of Forces in Iraq be Terminated Immediately

EXPRESSING SENSE OF HOUSE THAT DEPLOYMENT OF FORCES IN IRAQ BE TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY -- (House of Representatives - November 18, 2005)

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Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, for over 2 years, the Bush administration has failed to offer the American people a truthful and meaningful dialogue on the war in Iraq. We have lost thousands of troops and we have spent billions of dollars, and yet the President refuses to offer a credible strategy for success. The President has misled the public and he refuses to acknowledge the truth of the reality in Iraq.

Hundreds of Members of Congress and millions of Americans have voiced very serious and very real concerns with the decisions being made by the White House. Although I voted against the war, once the President took us to war, I have supported the men and women in uniform who are serving our Nation. However, I continue to believe that unless we have a clear strategy, we will continue to see the loss of American lives in Iraq with no end in sight.

Unfortunately, today, instead of having a legitimate debate about strategy and consequences, the majority has chosen to waste the time of this body and the American people by bringing forth a blatantly political resolution that is difficult to take seriously. My colleague from Pennsylvania, a Vietnam veteran decorated with two Purple Hearts and a Member of the House for three decades, Mr. Murtha, yesterday offered a well thought out, principled resolution calling for the redeployment of the forces in Iraq at the ``earliest practicable date.'' In addition, despite what some in the majority have characterized during today's debate as cutting and running, Mr. Murtha's resolution calls for a continued military presence in the region through the deployment of a quick-reaction force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines. Also, the resolution states that the U.S. shall continue to pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomatic means.

It is important to note that the word ``immediate'' does not appear anywhere in Mr. Murtha's resolution. Yet we find ourselves today debating a resolution introduced by the chair of the House Armed Services Committee that calls for the ``immediate withdrawal'' of American troops. The fact that this was introduced by the House Armed Services Committee and the fact that he along with colleagues in the majority will be voting against his own resolution demonstrates not only the lack of clear ideas from their side of the aisle but also a lack of willingness to have a true debate.

Today, the majority once again shunned their responsibility in having an open debate on the war in Iraq, and instead they and the President continue to attack those who disagree with them by questioning their patriotism. Rather than engaging in an open dialogue to debate the issue, the majority chose to engage in personal destruction and politicized the issue by voicing empty rhetoric. They chose to question the patriotism of those who have served in uniform and who have honorably served their country. And they chose to continue to hide from the American public the facts of this war.

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