The Department Of State, Foreigh Operations And Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008

Floor Speech

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 21, 2007)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong support for this amendment.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Multi-National Force Commander General David Petraeus will provide an assessment of Iraq this fall.

The assessment will include the military, economic and political situation in Iraq.

The assessment will be a key determinant for future U.S. involv ement.

The debate over what to do in Iraq will continue and the Crocker-Petraeus assessment will be challenged.

If the report is positive Crocker and Petraeus must provide specific signs of progress and lay out in detail how long and how many troops will be needed in Iraq.

If the report is negative then Crocker and Petraeus should provide definitive steps on a phased withdrawal plan that reduces the number of lives lost.

Whatever the outcome of the Crocker-Petraeus assessment we need an inde pendent validation of the assessment.

This is why I am supporting Mr. Shays' amendment to reconstitute the Iraq Study Group.

This bipartisan group, that provided observations and recommendations to the President last December concerning the situation in Iraq would be reengaged and provide the American people a bipartisan perspective of what we can expect for the future of Iraq.

With all the partisan debate we witness week in and week out in Washington, we must reconstitute this nonpartisan group , which has as its only goal, moving forward American interests.

Mr. Chairman, it is time we come together and support this amendment to provide a bipartisan assessment of the situation in Iraq.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source