Statement By U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin On Iraq Policy Resolution, H. Res. 861

Mr. Speaker, it is right for Congress to ask the President to implement a plan to start bringing our troops home from Iraq.  That would be the right message to send to the Iraqis: they must assume the responsibility for security of their own country.

Congress needs to have a real and meaningful debate on the future role of the U.S. military in Iraq as we approach the fourth anniversary of the Congressional authorization to use force in Iraq.  Congress should take seriously its obligation to oversee our military.

The majority has given us one option with this resolution, which is to make a political statement in support of President Bush.  The House leadership has refused to allow amendments to this resolution.  It is interesting that we are committed to building democratic institutions in Iraq but we are not willing to let the members of Congress vote on alternative policies in Iraq.  Our men and women in uniform that are putting their lives on the line every day deserve the full attention of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, we all agree with those parts of the resolution that: honor Americans who have taken part in the Global War on Terror, including our first responders, diplomats, military, and intelligence officers; honor the sacrifices of American, Iraqi, and Afghan military forces, and the families of those troops; congratulate the Iraqi people for holding free and fair elections, under a new democratic constitution; supports the efforts of the Iraqi and Afghan people to live in freedom; and declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror.

We should be debating whether or not and how to withdrawal or redeploy United States Armed Forces from Iraq, and members should be permitted to offer amendments to this resolution.  We should not simply be asked to “stay the course”.  Congress must reclaim its oversight responsibility and ask serious questions about the Iraq war and reconstruction effort.

I am convinced that we must change course.  The repositioning of our troops would help us to regain the focus on the war on terror. 

The President came to Congress in October 2002 and asked Congress to authorize force against Iraq.  I voted against giving the President this authority, and parted ways with most of my colleagues in Congress.  This was not a popular vote at the time, but it was the right vote.  I was proud of my vote then as I am now.

I have remained an outspoken critic of President Bush’s policies in Iraq.  There was no connection between the events of 9/11 and the Saddam Hussein regime.  The Bush Administration distorted and misused intelligence information about Saddam Hussein’s actual WMD capacity.  Saddam Hussein did not have nuclear weapons, and did not pose an imminent threat to the United States.

During our debate in 2002 I stated on the House floor that I had “grave concerns” about a unilateral, pre-emptive military attack by the United States which could “endanger our global coalition against terrorism.”  I also stated that “we cannot overlook the massive cost and effort that the United States would have to undertake in a post-Saddam regime.”  Finally, I stated that “the United States will need the help of its allies as it attempts to transition Iraq from a dictatorship to a democracy.”  I regret to say that I was correct on all these counts.

The President prematurely disbanded the Iraqi security forces.  After overthrowing Saddam the President protected the oil ministries, but not the weapons and ammunitions depots, which were looted by insurgents and are now being used to attack American forces.  The President did not provide the heavy armor needed for our troops and equipment.  The President did not plan for an insurgency.  Finally, the President invaded Iraq and then attempted to reconstruct Iraq without seeking any significant assistance from the international community.

We have paid a heavy price.  More than 2,500 American soldiers are dead.  More than 18,000 American soldiers have been injured.  We have spent over $300 billion to date on the Iraq war and reconstruction.

Mr. Speaker, in December 2004 I visited Iraq as part of a Congressional delegation.  I wanted to see the situation on the ground in Iraq firsthand.  It is an experience that I will not soon forget.  I thanked our troops for their service, including troops from Maryland and from our Maryland Guard and Maryland Reserve.  Our troops have performed with honor and distinction and have done everything that we have asked of them.  Our troops deserve to come home to their families and a grateful nation.

Yet the President still says that we must stay the course.  We need to immediately change course in Iraq, which must include the drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq.  We currently have approximately 130,000 troops in Iraq, roughly 20 percent of which are Guard and Reserve troops.  Military experts have recommended a drawdown of at least 10,000 troops a month.  It is not necessary for us to announce a specific timeline for the withdrawal of our troops.  It is reasonable to expect, however, that one-half of our combat troops should come home by the end of 2006, and that all of our combat troops should come home by the end of 2007.

We should make sure that our National Guard are the first to come home, as they were never intended to be used as the primary military force for overseas conflicts.  Our Guard units should be made available for local needs.

The drawdown of American troops from Iraq back home will allow us to achieve certain necessary objectives.  First, we will bring our troops home to their families, and take them out of the middle of a civil war.  Our soldiers should not be used as police officers.  Second, we will send an important message to the Iraqi government to take responsibility.  U.S. troops cannot remain in Iraq indefinitely.  Third, we will remove a powerful propaganda and recruitment tool for Al Qaeda that the United States is an occupation force.  Fourth, we would be able to stage our troops outside of Iraq to work with our allies and the international community to fight the war against international terrorism.  The repositioning of our troops would help us to regain the focus we have lost on the war on terror.  Finally, bringing our troops home would help us preserve the strength of our all-volunteer military by improving troop morale and boosting our efforts to improve recruitment of new soldiers.

The United States should convene an international conference on Iraq which would include the government of Iraq.  As the sole remaining superpower, the United States needs to mend diplomatic fences.  Such a conference should achieve three primary goals.  First, it should produce a verifiable cease-fire.  Second, it would establish a mechanism for the completion of the training of Iraqi security forces.  Finally, it would coordinate all international humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to the new Iraqi government.

Finally, we must honor our commitment to our military and veterans’ families, which will strengthen our recruitment efforts for new troops.  Our volunteer military is in danger.  The morale of our troops is suffering due longer tours of duties and budgets that have not fully funded veterans’ benefits, particularly in meeting their health care needs.

Our recruitment efforts have fallen short in the military, as both the Army National Guard and Army Reserve have only met roughly 80% of their recruiting goals.  The answer is the proper deployment of our troops, and the full funding of our veterans’ benefits, particularly their health care needs.  These benefits are particularly relevant considering we have 18,000 wounded veterans so far as a result of the Iraq war.  We must also bear in mind that estimates indicate that 50,000 war veterans will experience battle fatigue and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and will require extensive treatment and rehabilitation.

Mr. Speaker, I call on the President to immediately change course in Iraq, including the implementation of a plan to start bringing our troops home from Iraq.