2,000 U.S. Soldiers Dead in Iraq

2,000 U.S. SOLDIERS DEAD IN IRAQ -- (House of Representatives - October 26, 2005)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, yesterday we reached a tragic milestone. Staff Sergeant George T. Alexander, Jr., of Texas, died from wounds he sustained while serving in Iraq. His death brought the U.S. death toll in Iraq to 2,000 soldiers. In addition to that, over 15,000 soldiers have been wounded, and over 400 are now amputees. My thoughts and prayers are with Staff Sergeant Alexander's family, and with all the families that have lost a loved one in Iraq.

However, I hope the administration will use this milestone as an opportunity to be honest, to square with the American people about why we are fighting in Iraq, and to develop a stronger plan that will secure Iraq and conclude our involvement the war.

Mr. Speaker, it is often said that to govern is to make choices. When it comes to the Iraq War, President Bush has made the wrong choices. Instead of putting the entire resources of the United States behind the efforts to find those responsible for the September 11th terrorist attacks, the President chose to use those tragic events as an excuse to go to war in Iraq.

Where is Osama bin Laden? Have we stopped looking for him? We have invaded Iraq. We have the shock and awe campaign. Thousands of Iraqis are dead, and now 2,000 of our soldiers are dead. We have left Iraq, and Baghdad in particular, in shambles. We have appropriated money for the reconstruction of Iraq, and we told the American people that we would basically pay for the major reconstruction with the proceeds from the oil that we would pump in Iraq. None of this is true; no weapons of mass destruction, no money coming from the oil fields in Iraq, no rehabilitation having been done. The insurgents not only are bombing all of the different sites in Iraq, they are killing schoolteachers.

We have created a breeding ground for terrorists. Oh, we claim they are coming from Syria. We claim that Iran has a hand in it. What is interesting now is Condoleezza Rice is telling us that we are going to get Iran to help us with Iraq. At the same time, Iran is developing and making more sophisticated its nuclear ability, but now we are going to try and join in with them to help us with Iraq? With this business of trying to make the American people believe that all of the insurgents are coming from Syria, we have created a new bogeyman for the people to focus on.

But that is not all about this terrorism, in this fight against terrorism. It seems to me that the President of the United States finds occasions by which he comes to the American public and he tells us that we have to be worried about a new terrorist threat. Every now and then he reminds us that the terrorists are still out there, and somehow we have to stay in Iraq. If we do not, we are going to be vulnerable to all of these terrorists. But if we stay the course, not only is he going to help keep us safe, no matter how many sacrifices we have to make, the right thing to do is to stay the course.

Mr. Speaker, that is easy to talk about and say when you are talking about somebody else's children. The President chose to go to war based on false and misleading intelligence. Look where it has gotten us. Look at the scandals surrounding the White House today because we tried to make the intelligence fit the decision that had already been made to go to war.

We are finding, and I guess we will know soon, once the indictments come down, who leaked the information about Valerie Plame and outed her because they were so mad at her husband, who had been sent to Niger to help put the story together that somehow Saddam Hussein had been seeking yellowcake in Niger. When Mr. Wilson came back and said it was not true, then they went after Mr. Wilson. Somehow the Vice President's office knows all about this.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to bring our soldiers home. It is time for Republicans and Democrats alike to understand that we do not need to lose another American soldier in Iraq.

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He chose to go to war without international support or heed the warnings of those in Congress that urged him to slow the march to war.

The President chose to send our soldiers to war without the body armor and armored vehicles necessary to keep our soldiers safe.

And, he chose to go to war without an adequate number of troops or a clear plan for how to succeed in Iraq.

For those decisions, American soldiers are paying the price--and for 2,000 soldiers they have paid the ultimate price.

It is time that the President recognizes the dangers of ``staying the course'' and develops a plan that accomplishes our mission in Iraq and allows all our soldiers to return to their families.

Madam Speaker, over the past several weeks, members of the Republican Caucus have been trying to cut the Federal budget by $50 billion. They claim that it is to help pay for the rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

Perhaps most shocking, the Republicans are trying to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

If the Republicans are successful in their efforts to cut discretionary funding by 2 percent, the VA's budget will be cut by more than $600 million which translates to nearly 100,000 fewer veterans receiving health care this year.

It is heartless and cruel to cut the VA's budget in order to make room for more tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans, while 159,000 U.S. soldiers are fighting in Iraq and tens of thousands more are deployed throughout the world.

I urge my colleagues to oppose these cuts and urge the American people to call their representatives and tell them to oppose these cuts.

Our soldiers and their families have sacrificed too much for us to turn our backs on them when they return home.

Madam Speaker, I close by thanking our soldiers for their service and pray for their safe return.

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