Declaring that the United States Will Prevail in the Global War on Terror

DECLARING THAT THE UNITED STATES WILL PREVAIL IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR

Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, on June 6 we commemorated D-day, the day that American military forces stormed the coast of France 62 years ago to turn the tide in one of the most brutal conflicts the world has ever known. The United States sustained 6,603 casualties that day, yet the final victory over the forces of fascism remained nearly a year away.

Rows of silent graves at the American Military Cemetery in Normandy bear witness to the high price of freedom. They solemnly remind us that there is no substitute for perseverance and sacrifice if we are to prevail over threats which challenge this Nation and the world today.

The Global War on Terror is a different war from the wars of the past. This is not a war of uniformed armies on clearly defined battlefields. It is a war that invades tranquil space and time without warning, carried out by those who hide among and behind civilian populations, seeking to exploit the vulnerable for ruthless purposes.

While we have endured the sacrifice of global wars during the past, we have never before waged such a war in an age of globalization, in an age when technology eviscerates the concept of distance, magnifies our losses, trivializes our accomplishments, and places our adversaries in a far better position to leverage the freedoms of our society against us.

In seeking to prevent another 9-11, the President and the United States Congress would have been utterly irresponsible to ignore the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It is important to note that in 1998, President Clinton ordered U.S. armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq because Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs posed a credible and serious threat.

But I am not here to argue the case for war today. The United States and our coalition partners made judgments to enter Iraq based on the best available evidence, and now the commitment is ours to complete. We are all in this together. The successful progression of our commitment in Iraq, from which I remain convinced that an abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops would do more harm than good, is vital to achieving national security for America, stability and hope for all peoples of the Middle East, and establishing the prospects for civil reform and long-term peace throughout the world.

While our mission continues to be dangerous and costly, it continues to make strong progress as well. The recent establishment of democratic institutions in Iraq is without cultural or historical precedent. This fact, combined with rapid progress on the deployment of Iraqi security forces, gives us realistic hope of diminishing conflict and a stable foundation for the prospects of long-term peace.

As we proceed with our obligation, may each one of us endeavor to discharge our responsibilities in a manner that is worthy of the sacrifices of the United States Armed Forces.

And may each of us recall that this obligation is ultimately connected to the mantle of leadership that has fallen to the United States--not only for our own welfare, but for the welfare of the entire world.

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