Announcement of Iraq Resolution

ANNOUNCEMENT OF IRAQ RESOLUTION

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Speaker, today we got word that a fellow Representative from the State of Georgia, Representative CHARLIE NORWOOD, has gone home to Augusta after battling cancer here in Washington, DC. at various facilities. And he has handled his affliction bravely, and he has been an example of a great fighting spirit. We wish his family the best, and he is in our prayers as he continues his battle.

Today, Madam Speaker, I rise to give the people of the Fourth District of Georgia a voice in the debate on Iraq.

Today, I introduced the first bill of my young congressional career, House Resolution 140. I look forward to presenting plans soon to directly better the lives of my constituents and others in need throughout this great country.

However, the conflict in Iraq is consuming our time, thoughts, and funds; and people of goodwill must speak when given the opportunity, and this is my opportunity to speak.

In order to move toward an end to the Iraq war, we need to push for two things: number one, ending troop presence, U.S. troop presence, on the streets of Iraq; and, two, securing the Iraqi Government.

United States troops engaged in street patrol throughout the country expose themselves to massive violence, and it is arguably keeping this war going long past the time it should have been completed. Our troops are doing an excellent job, Madam Speaker, but the insurgents use their presence throughout the country to justify attacks on them, and actually 60 percent of the Iraqi people support those attacks against our servicemen and -women on the streets of Iraq.

So why do they continue to be sent out into the streets of Iraq, into a world of explosive devices and sniper bullets without adequate armor? Madam Speaker, I am tired of seeing our troops lose their precious lives for this seemingly unending cause. So I am requesting in this resolution, House Resolution 140, that they be taken off the streets and allowed to focus on a mission that would truly help bring about an end to this war once and for all.

Make no mistake, the job of hunting insurgents throughout Iraqi neighborhoods is noble, but this is a job for the Iraqis, not American troops who should be on their way home. The time has come for a new strategy, Madam Speaker, one that focuses on taking our troops out of harm's way and pressuring the Iraqi Government to finally take the mantle.

Once that government is up and running, they will be able to put the Iraqi military into action; develop a plan to ensure Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds benefit from Iraq's vast oil resources; create jobs; and do the numerous other things necessary to bring peace to that troubled land.

We must also consider the lives of millions of Iraqi civilians. Are the insurgents using our presence, the presence of United States troops, on the streets of Baghdad as an excuse to blow up neighborhoods? Would they be better protected if we significantly reduce our presence? I believe so, Madam Speaker, and it is another reason that the President and the Secretary of Defense should consider instituting this plan. This is a practical solution to that seemingly unsolvable problem.

The use of the Iraqis will reduce war expenses as well, lessening the burden on the American taxpayer and bring about a quicker conclusion to this conflict.

Madam Speaker, it is time to bring this war to a responsible end for the American people, for the Iraqis, and for our brave troops. And I will continue to do all I can to help make this a reality.

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