Levin-Reed Amendment

Floor Speech

LEVIN-REED AMENDMENT -- (Senate - July 13, 2007)

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Senate has now had a full day to debate the Levin amendment. The questions I raised about it yesterday remain unanswered. Americans need to know what they are being asked to consider. The troops fighting al-Qaida in Iraq also need to know. I will ask my questions again.

The Levin amendment says the Secretary of Defense shall ``commence the reduction of the number of United States forces in Iraq not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this act.'' What would this reduction involve? The Levin amendment calls for U.S. forces in Iraq to have a limited presence after the reduction. What is a ``limited presence''? The Levin amendment says our Armed Forces should only be used to protect U.S. personnel, to train Iraqis to fight, and to engage in ``targeted counterterrorism operations against al-Qaida.'' What does ``targeted'' mean? The Levin amendment says the Secretary of Defense shall complete the transition of U.S. forces in Iraq to a limited presence and missions by April 30. How does the author define ``complete''?

A number of papers across America reported this morning that yesterday's House vote means that most U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by April. I ask the authors of the Levin amendment, is this true?

This 1 1/2 -page amendment is the centerpiece of the Democratic leadership's strategy for Iraq. They want us to choose this over the Petraeus plan. Listen to General Petraeus. Just before we began this debate, he made a simple request. He said:

I can think of few commanders in history who wouldn't have wanted more troops, more time, or more unity among their partners. However, if I could only have one thing at this point in Iraq, it would be more time.

Our Democratic-led Senate voted 81 to nothing to send General Petraeus into Iraq. A bipartisan majority of 80 Senators told him in May that he had until September to report back on progress. His strategy has led to what even skeptics describe as an encouraging turnaround against al-Qaida in Anbar, a province which accounts for about one-third of Iraq's territory. Yesterday, just 1 month after this strategy became fully manned, Democrats are declaring it a failure and asking us to rally behind a 1 1/2 -page alternative that raises more questions, frankly, than it answers.

We have been down this road before. When the President decided to change course in Iraq last year, Democrats said his new strategy wouldn't work. They called it a failure before it began. Now just 1 month after that strategy became fully manned, they are calling it a failure again, even as it has started to show signs of military success.

The Iraq Foreign Minister told us what would happen if America walks away from this fight right now: a sharp increase in violence, thousands of civilian deaths, and a regional conflict that could involve several other countries in that area. Yet the Democratic leadership has yet to address the consequences of withdrawal. Here is their response to concerns about a victory by al-Qaida, genocide, and a regional war in the Middle East: Blame Bush. That may work on the stump, but it is not a very sophisticated foreign policy, and it is not going to solve the great problems we face in Iraq and in the broader Middle East.

Fortunately, many brave people are facing this problem head-on. Our top commander in Iraq says he can win this fight. He told us he wouldn't risk a single American life if he didn't think he could. All he is asking for is time. Can we at least give him what we agreed to in May?

This amendment is not a responsible alternative to the Petraeus plan. It is a page and a half of vague proposals.

Now, look, all of us are frustrated with the war, but we have committed to listen to General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. We did so through legislation. We need to listen to our top commander in the field. He deserves 60 days. More than 160,000 American soldiers and marines are fighting in Iraq right now. They believe in this mission. They are executing the plan, and they have a leader. He is asking for more time. Let's be fair and honor the legislation we passed in May. Let's wait for the report.

I yield the floor.

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