Clarifying a Statement on Iraq

CLARIFYING A STATEMENT ON IRAQ -- (Senate - February 08, 2007)

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I earlier came to the floor and spoke of a statement made on the Senate floor by Senator Ensign. I misread my notes for that statement. I want to clarify that Senator Ensign did, in fact, quote me accurately when he said that I had made a statement:

If we need initially some troops in Baghdad, for example, to quiet the situation, make it more peaceful so that our soldiers start coming home, then I would accept it.

That, in fact, was a statement that I had made. The point I would like to make at this moment is, that was part of a longer interview. In the longer interview I raised questions about whether this would be part of a strategy to bring our troops home. That has been my position consistently.

My feeling was, if, as we move troops--we recently moved troops--into Baghdad to protect that city, trying to bring peace to it so our troops could come home, I could understand that. But I believe today, as I believed when I made that statement, that whatever movement of troops we would make would have to be with the clear understanding that our troops were coming home.

I apologize if my earlier statement suggested that Senator Ensign had said something different. He did accurately quote me, but the quote that he used did not accurately reflect my feeling on the entire situation.

I want to make that clear to Senator Ensign. As I said when I finished my remarks, my feelings for him are not diminished and my feelings that this war should end and our troops should come home soon are not diminished either.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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