|
OCTOBER 6, 2006 
| BACK
TO FLOOR SPEECHES "Miller Takes a Stand on Iraq War Resolution with an Unprecedented 'Present' Vote" "Mr. Speaker, I dearly wish that the facts set forth in this resolution were all true. I dearly wish that by voting for this resolution, Congress could make those facts true. I dearly wish that Iraq was well along the path to a sovereign, free, secure and united society, and that Iraqi security forces were assuming more and more responsibility from our military. I wish that our enemy was clear, that we need not worry that our friends are our enemies when our backs were turned. I fear instead that our military now finds itself in the crossfire of a civil war in which none of the sides is really fighting for a tolerant, democratic, unified Iraq. I fear that many of the Iraqis we are training now to serve in Iraq’s Security forces will use their skills not to maintain order and the rule of law, but to kill other Iraqis in sectarian violence, in an Iraqi civil war. I fear that Iraqi’s see our military, who have served nobly, as a foreign occupying army rather than liberators. Mr. Speaker, if my vote could make my wishes true and my fear false, I would vote for this resolution without hesitation. But Mr. Speaker, I will vote present. I will not vote against a Resolution that praises our men and women for serving nobly, because they have served nobly and deserve our praise. I will not vote against a Resolution that declares that we will prevail in the War on Terror, because we must prevail. But I will not vote for a Resolution that keeps our men and women in harms way in the service of wishful thinking. Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity for a real, clear-eyed debate about what our options really are in Iraq. Our men and women serving in harms way in Iraq deserve no less." . . . |
    
|
Site last updated on 10/27/2006
Privacy and Security Notice
Please direct all questions about this site to the Site
Manager