"The President Cannot Veto Reality"

Floor Speech

``THE PRESIDENT CANNOT VETO REALITY'' -- (House of Representatives - May 02, 2007)

Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, the President can veto our plan for a safe and orderly phased redeployment from Iraq, but he cannot veto reality. Our troops are coming home, it's just a question of how much blood and money will be spent before they do.

If the President had listened to the generals, we would never have invaded Iraq in the first place. Each day of this unnecessary tragedy demonstrates the wisdom of General Schwarzkopf's warning that we would become ``like [a] dinosaur in a tar pit.''

Had he listened to the generals, the President would have deployed enough troops to get the job done. But instead, he rejected the advice of General Shinseki, and allowed the violence to spiral, and unguarded weapon heaps became IEDs.

If the President had listened to the generals, he would now be redeploying our troops instead of sending more, inadequately protected, for longer, repeat tours of duty.

Had the President listened to the generals, our veterans would be getting the quality care that they have earned and they deserve.

But in this Administration, generals who disagree with the President earn a new title: Retired.

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