Time for a new Direction in Iraq

TIME FOR A NEW DIRECTION IN IRAQ -- (House of Representatives - July 26, 2006)

(Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, sadly, the war in Iraq is escalating daily. In the first 6 months of 2006, more than 350 American soldiers were killed in action and over 2,400 wounded. This means the United States lost the equivalent of five battalions' worth of ground forces during the period Iraqi political leaders squabbled over how to form a government.

And while forming a government was a positive step, it has made little difference in the daily lives of most Iraqis. Violence has escalated and claims more and more Iraqi lives. According to the U.N., over 14,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in the first 6 months of 2006, including 5,800 in May and June alone. States of emergency, curfews and military operations have not stabilized the country. There are more insurgents, more foreign fighters and more attacks. The signs of sectarian and ethnic cleansing are everywhere. President Bush has said he is going to deploy more troops into Baghdad.

Mr. Speaker, 2006 was supposed to be a year of significant transition in Iraq. But the U.S. remains on the defensive, caught in a civil war.

Mr. Speaker, this war is a miserable failure. It is time for a new direction in Iraq.

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