Ensuring Military Readiness Through Stability and Predictability

Floor Speech

ENSURING MILITARY READINESS THROUGH STABILITY AND PREDICTABILITY DEPLOYMENT POLICY ACT OF 2007 -- (Extensions of Remarks - August 04, 2007)

* Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 3159. If it were a sincere attempt to address deployment-to-dwell schedules, I would be inclined to support it. Our troops have been rotating frequently; it is a serious issue that calls for a serious discussion.

* H.R. 3159, however, is yet another sound bite masquerading as policy, and is illustrative of the entire congressional debate on Iraq thus far.

* Not once have we had a serious deliberation regarding how to extricate ourselves from our current dilemma. We have only considered take-it-or-Ieave-it measures designed to inflict political damage; we have yet to make a serious attempt to find consensus on the most vexing foreign policy conundrum of our time.

* I am dissatisfied with the conduct of the war, and I am eager to see an end to the casualties. Regardless, we must accept the fact that our actions will have long term consequences for the United States, for Iraq, and the entire Middle East. We must put more thought into our exit than we did our entrance to Iraq; legislation like H.R. 3159 does not suffice.

* Yesterday at the Rules Committee, my colleague Frank Wolf offered an amendment expressing the sense of Congress that the way forward in Iraq would be to implement the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. I was a cosponsor of this amendment, and I was disappointed the Rules Committee yet again denied us an opportunity to debate this important measure.

* Madam Speaker, we are in a difficult spot in Iraq. In such circumstances, it makes sense to gather the best minds our country has to offer, from across the political spectrum, and ask their advice as to how we should proceed. That's what we did when we created the Iraq Study Group, and their recommendations represent a blueprint for an orderly way out of Iraq.

* In my opinion, we should embrace these recommendations. At a minimum, we should debate them. I continue to look forward to the day that occurs.

* Despite my misgivings, I would have supported this legislation had the majority supported the motion to recommit. This stipulated the deployment timetables proposed by the Democratic majority could go into effect. The Secretary of Defense, however, would have to certify they would not cause the tour of any unit already deployed to be extended. He would also have to certify they would not increase the operational risk to any deployed unit.

* These were common sense measures worthy of support. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle rejected them, and I am compelled to vote against the bill.

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