Mr. President, I rise today to speak in opposition to pulling our troops out of Iraq based on political timetables conceived in the U.S. Senate. I have voted against similar measures in the past and intend to vote against them again this week.
These bills do nothing more than tie the hands of our commanders on the ground while pandering to special interest anti-war groups.
These are the same commanders that are risking their lives daily so that our mission in Iraq can continue to succeed. And our mission is succeeding. General Petraeus is succeeding.
Violence in Iraq is at its lowest since the insurgency began. Suicide bombings are down 70 percent. I.E.D attacks have been cut in half.
The surge is working. Since it began less than a year ago, we have succeeded in putting Al Qaeda on the run while rooting out the terrorists neighborhood-by-neighborhood.
In return, Iraqis have partnered with U.S. troops, forming their own security forces and stabilizing their own neighborhoods. These efforts have served to unite torn communities – such as Anbar Province – and pave the way for political reconciliation.
The other side has said for months the surge has failed because it has not created the environment for political progress in Iraq. Well they are wrong.
The correlation between the surge and security is obvious. In the past few weeks, as we continued to see increased stability throughout Iraq, the Iraqi government made great political strides.
On February 13th the Iraqi Council of Representatives passed three key pieces of legislation – an amnesty law, the 2008 budget and a provincial powers law. These political milestones are made possible by Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds reaching out to each other and working to find solutions that represent all Iraqis.
This is General Petraeus’ counterinsurgency at work. It worked when he was Commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul and now it is working all across Iraq.
So I ask my colleagues across the aisle, why when you see our mission in Iraq is succeeding and the Iraqi people are making real political progress do you want to pull the rug out from underneath our commanders and troops?
Just last July the Senate overwhelmingly supported by a vote of 94 to 3 a sense of the Senate amendment stating that it is in our national security interests that Iraq not become a failed state and a safe haven for terrorists.
Well, wake up! Cutting and running from Iraq will only benefit the terrorists while jeopardizing our national security and that of the Iraqi people.
Make no mistake Iraq is the central battleground in our fight in the Global War on Terror. This is not just my opinion. Osama bin Laden has called Iraq the "central front" in his war against America.
He knows that the premature withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq will strengthen his terrorist organization enabling him to set up training camps in the country and plot attacks against the United States.
Although it has been over six years since we have experienced a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, we must never forget that there are those out there that wish to do us harm.
And those that wish to do us harm will benefit if we pull out of Iraq and leave a failed state behind. Al Qaeda and its allies flourish and multiply in the chaos of failed states with no rule of law or respect for human rights.
Instead of debating a cut and run strategy in Iraq that has already failed on the floor of the Senate four times, we should be focusing on how to provide the defenders of our freedom – our commanders and troops – with the necessary tools to complete their mission.
Last week I had the opportunity to meet with the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. Located on the southern border between Kentucky and Tennessee, the Ft. Campbell community has felt the effects of deployment and casualties.
About two hundred soldiers from Ft. Campbell have given their lives for their country. Thousands of good men and women have spent tours of 15 months away from their families.
Speaking with the Commanding General only reinforced my belief that we have some of the finest patriots serving in our Nation’s military.
The brave men and women who answer the noble call to defend our Nation and the family and community who support them are our most valuable national asset.
I don’t want to see their unbelievable efforts in Iraq fail. We as a nation have invested too much to hand a big victory to Al Qaeda in Iraq. This political show needs to end.
In April, General Petraeus will report back to congress on the state of our mission in Iraq. As United States Senators that voted in support of his confirmation, we owe him the opportunity to present his report to us instead of cutting him off at the knees right before his report.
We should show him the respect of listening to his report.
We owe an honorable man that has spent most of the past five years away from his family in Iraq at least that. I urge my colleagues to join me in giving General Petraeus this opportunity and opposing these bills.
Thank you Mr. President and I yield the floor.
