Funeral ceremonies for a constituent require my presence in the District and I requested leave from legislative business scheduled for today, Friday, June 16, 2006. Had I been present, I would have voted “NAY” on H. Res. 861, the resolution on the War in Iraq. I submitted the following remarks to be printed in the appropriate place in The Congressional Record. June 16, 2006 Statement of Rep. Carolyn C. Kilpatrick Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.Res 861, the Global War on Terrorism Resolution. I am opposed to the resolution because it is terribly flawed, non-binding, and does not provide a viable plan that protects our soldiers or serves our country The general assumption is that the debate on the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) will be a full and honest debate. In fact, the process we are engaged in represents nothing more than an exercise in rhetoric. H.Res 861 is flawed because it does not reflect bipartisanship. Democrats were not allowed to offer our substitute or amend the Republican resolution. Further, I strenuously disagree with the language contained in the resolution. I want to strongly emphasize that the failed Republican policy in Iraq includes poor planning that left troops without critical equipment, and provided no plan for success. The war in Iraq exemplifies gross mismanagement, as evidenced by $9 billion that is either lost or stolen and cannot be accounted for. There has been no oversight of spending to date. The Republican controlled Congress has refused to oversee military conduct and the policy that contributed to the war. There has been a complete lack of accountability regarding this war. No investigating committee has ensured taxpayer dollars were legally and well spent. This administration is guilty of entering into no bid contracts, totaling $17 billion to Halliburton alone. Let me be clear, Democrats want and demand a new direction in Iraq. We want a responsible redeployment of U.S. troops to take place immediately. We must redeploy and be ready! I disagree with the resolution premise that the U.S. will prevail in the Global War on Terrorism due to the fact that the “terrorist adversary” cannot be identified or quantified. The misguided perpetrators of terrorism consist of disparate and loosely confederated groups, some of whom are religious zealots that justify their terrorist actions based on their Islamic beliefs; others are mercenaries seeking to retaliate against the U.S. for our invasion of Iraq. The terrorists identified as members of Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden, do not adhere to a traditional command and control military structure, thereby making it impossible for our military forces to engage in traditional battlefield strategies. H.Res 861 presents the proposition that Saddam Hussein’s regime supported terrorists and posed a threat to global peace. There is no documentation to support this premise. These allegations have been wholly disproved, yet supporters of the war and the architects of the resolution continue to propagate these mistruths. This is why today I reaffirm my steadfast opposition to another in a long list of resolutions that seek to delude Americans into believing that we are debating legislation that provides a clear direction to winning the so-called Global War on Terrorism. This resolution does not! I oppose this resolution because it does not address the fact that to date we have spent in excess of $368 billion, mainly in the form of supplemental spending bills that are off-budget and contribute mightily to the federal deficit. The resolution does not address that our president, the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Agency (NSA) all provided the American public with undeniably wrong information and allegations contrived to seduce them and members of Congress to support an act of aggression against Saddam Hussein. We engaged in a war without broad international support. America, through its actions in Iraq, reinforced the perception throughout the Middle East that the Global War on Terrorism is an attack on the religion of Islam, and in some measure that the interests of the U.S. related more to controlling oil in Iraq than promoting democracy. This war has united our enemies and divided our friends. I reject this resolution because it does not acknowledge that we hastily entered this war and unnecessarily placed our soldiers in harm’s way, resulting in 2,500 deaths. My ongoing assessments of the situation in Iraq have caused me to conclude that it is critical for the House and our nation to develop a strategy that will ensure the redeployment of our forces from Iraq and return them home. I support my colleague Rep. Murtha and his calls for a reevaluation of our military strategy and a return of our troops as soon as practicable. As our troops redeploy, they will be ready to respond to whatever challenges our nation may be forced to confront. Finally, I oppose HRes 861 because it will not deliver any tangible solutions to the quagmire that engulfs our soldiers and places them in perpetual danger. H.Res 861 provides the appearance of substantive and honest debate. In reality, it is merely an exercise designed to appease the emotional and intellectual appetite of Americans seeking to justify what they believe and have been told is a real Global War on Terrorism. It is not! I urge my colleagues to vote no on HRes. 861. ###
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