Iraq War Resolution
Floor Speech
IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION -- (House of Representatives - February 15, 2007)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. While I believe that the President as the Commander in Chief has the inherent authority to manage the conduct of congressionally approved military action, I have serious concerns that a surge in the number of U.S. combat troops in Iraq is not the best course of action at this time.
The deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops to Iraq is not the answer. I agree with former Secretary of State Colin Powell when he stated: ``I am not persuaded that another surge of troops into Baghdad for the purposes of suppressing this communitarian violence, this civil war, will work.''
Secretary Powell is not alone in his belief. Generals Wesley Clark, Barry McCaffrey, John Abizaid, and James Conway have also made statements to this same effect.
I have traveled to Iraq and I have met with our military forces. And I believe our foremost commitment must be to their safety. I strongly believe that we must concentrate our efforts on preparing the Iraqi Government for the task of providing security to their own citizens. Our forces in Iraq should be primarily focused on training and supporting Iraq's own military and police.
We must continue working to shift the responsibility for security from the U.S. forces to those of the Iraqi Government. It is only through this path that we will ensure the safe and orderly return of our brave men and women.
Empowering the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Government must be our primary goal. I will continue fighting to ensure that our service men and women have every tool and every resource that they need to carry out their duties and return home safely.
We must all dedicate ourselves to ensuring that our brave men and women in uniform have all of the unconditional support and thanks. Their sacrifices and bravery must never be forgotten. We should also be mindful of those who have served and serve in our National Guard and Reserve units, and those that are not yet American citizens but who still serve our country with distinction.
Let us always remember the lives of more than 3,000 dedicated Americans who have lost their lives in this conflict, and the thousands and thousands of American soldiers that have been injured.
It is time to be bipartisan and move forward with a comprehensive plan for handing over responsibility to the Iraqi Government and stabilizing the region. Iraq must become the responsibility of the Iraqis. Let's surge forward only in the commitment to transfer responsibility for Iraq to the Iraqis.
Only together can we ensure the safe return of our brave and dedicated American troops.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source