Providing for Consideration of H. Con. Res. 63, Iraq War Resolution
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H. CON. RES. 63, IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION
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Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, today we will begin a long overdue debate about the President's troop escalation plan, and the Iraq war in general. I spoke earlier this morning, and I had the opportunity to address some of the conflict between the testimony of experts and this administration's wishful thinking in regard to this escalation.
What is said here on the floor of Congress, what is said by our experts and what is said by the administration matters. It matters because our troops will be asked to fulfill the mission that comes out of these discussions. Our debate on this resolution is about far more than expressing our disapproval for the President. We offer this debate in the hopes that it will shape the mission that our soldiers are asked to carry out, one that is based on facts and reality, not blind ideology.
I retired from the Army National Guard in the spring of 2005, and the unit I served with is now in Iraq. Many of these soldiers were kids that I taught in my high school classroom, that I coached on our football team. They joined my Guard unit, and I trained them. We deployed together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and now they are deployed again to Iraq.
As a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard, I know that our soldiers are trained to fulfill the mission they are given, but having a mission that is achievable is the key to any military success.
The previous Republican Congress failed to hold the administration accountable for providing a mission that could succeed; and in so doing, they failed to support our troops.
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with a field commander from the Minnesota National Guard serving in Iraq. He told me that our soldiers are performing magnificently, every minute of every hour of every day. That is not the issue at hand here. The issue at hand is providing a mission that can succeed.
Mr. Speaker, when we recess for our district work period next week, I will go home and look into the eyes of the families of these soldiers. These are the same families and the men and women who learned on cable television that they would be extended in their tour of duty. These are the same men and women who will face financial loss because many of them had the plan to return to their jobs after an 18-month deployment to work in agriculture and construction businesses, and now they will be delayed in their return. They will miss the critical season. They have been deployed for 2 1/2 of the last 4 years.
Mr. Speaker, we can and must do better by our soldiers. The resolution we will debate today and that I am in support of is meant as a first step to giving them an achievable mission and a chance to return. Our soldiers are trained to fulfill their mission without question. We as civilian leaders have a duty to question it on their behalf.
For the past 4 years, this Republican-led Congress has failed in their duty. This resolution is about this Congress standing up and saying we will achieve our duty to the same level of excellence that our soldiers have.
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