Senate Armed Services Committee Holds Hearing on U.S. Military Commitments Worldwide

CORNYN:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

And thank you to the witnesses for hanging in there with us during this hearing -- this very important hearing.

I remember, it's 42 years ago when I was very young, President Kennedy said something that I heard President Bush echo last Sunday night. President Kennedy said, "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

CORNYN:
And I was pleased to hear Senator Dayton mention the broad, bipartisan support that your efforts enjoy in this body for your efforts here as our troops bear the burden that we've -- that they volunteered for, and which they are currently bearing now in Iraq, so that liberty may succeed for the Iraqi people and also for the American people.

But, of course, the decision in the Congress to go to war in Iraq was not universal -- universally shared that commitment.
And there are those who, in my view, seek some vindication of their lack of agreement for the nation's policy to -- for regime change in the subsequent hardships that our military forces have endured. And that's unfortunate.

I apologize for not having been here at the very beginning of this hearing, but I was chairing another hearing which I think is
indicative of where we are in the post-9/11 environment, and that was a hearing on the continuity of Congress in the event of a catastrophic event, perhaps a terrorist attack on this very Capitol, which, indeed, was narrowly averted on 9/11 due, in large part, to the heroic efforts of civilians on the plane that were able to divert it to a Pennsylvania field.

The very fact we're having a hearing about the continuity of government is a solemn reminder -- additional reminder of the serious threats that we face.

I just want to come out and say that I commend President Bush and the administration for the resolute leadership that's been demonstrated in the war on terror, both in Iraq and around the globe. I believe that everyone whose engaged in fighting this war, from the most junior recruit to the commander in chief, are doing a remarkable job under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

Of course, we understand -- the American people understand that this -- we are engaged already in a presidential election and that there are those who criticize the president's handling of the war in Iraq in order to gain political advantage.

CORNYN:
And the American people, as I say, understand that.

But again, speaking only for myself, I find something unsavory about comments of those who seek political advantage in questioning our commitment to our troops and our commitment to winning the war on terror.

I believe that there's a lot to be very proud of, in terms of what we have been able to accomplish, in terms of making sure that the Iraqi people will enjoy the blessings of liberty that we enjoy in this country.

For me, the fundamental question is, are Iraqis better off today than they were during Saddam's regime? The answer is unequivocally yes. Is America a safer place today than it was before Saddam was toppled? And I think the answer to that is, likewise, unequivocally yes.

I had the privilege of traveling to Iraq with the chairman and the ranking member and other members of this committee at the end of June and the beginning of July. I was shocked, as they were, to see samples of mass graves of some 300,000 individuals who Saddam had simply killed during his reign of terror. I've been shocked as well to learn of some 1.5 million people who are simply missing, and we don't really know where they are, whether they're dead or alive, in Iraq or out of Iraq or elsewhere.

And, of course, we know today that there are those who enjoy religious who did not enjoy religious freedom under Saddam's regime. Women now have basic rights. The Iraqi people have hope for the future that they did not have just a few short months ago.

But I'd like to ask both -- perhaps, Secretary Wolfowitz, for you to comment on this issue, and that is, I know it's been -- because of the sabotage that we've seen on the electrical grid, the transmission lines in Iraq, it's been very difficult for us to get the message of all of our accomplishments out to the Iraqi people.

Indeed that was one of the things I came away with on our trip; that the American people are seeing the drip, drip, drip of criticism of the arm-chair generals and the pundits who want to criticize everything that happens that does not happen in a perfect or desirable way. And I really worry that we are not doing everything we might do to get the positive message out to the Iraqi people.

And I wonder if you would just speak to that issue and the challenges you have and, perhaps, some of the successes that you've seen.

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CORNYN:
Thank you.

Let me just say, in wrapping up, that I was very pleased to see that the Arab League recognized the delegate, the foreign minister from the Iraqi Governing Council, as the legitimate representative of the Iraqi government, and see that as a important milestone.

WOLFOWITZ:
A huge breakthrough, and it's real teamwork between Ambassador Bremer and our State Department colleagues.

CORNYN:
It was very good news.

But I think in conclusion let me just say, Mr. Chairman, I think we all know that there are obstacles to overcome and there'll be setbacks along the way. But I hope that the politics of the moment don't drive criticism that will only serve to undermine the war on terror, and tend to undermine American resolve.

I wonder what people must be thinking at this point. Certainly not that we should cut and run, or that we should leave the Iraqi people with only half of our promise fulfilled; the promise we made to them that they would enjoy the blessings of liberty. And certainly I know we will all agree that we owe our men and women in uniform our unequivocal support.

Our troops, I'm convinced, have the will to win. I hope our politicians have that will to win as well.

Thank you very much.