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National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2008--Continued

Floor Speech

By: Jack Reed
By: Jack Reed
Date: July 17, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Defense


NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008--Continued -- (Senate - July 17, 2007)

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, President Bush is fond of slogans over strategy. We have heard them--``bring them on,'' ``cut and run,'' ``as they stand up, we will stand down.'' As my colleague, Senator Snowe, and our cosponsors have pointed out, he is fond of placing hopes over reality. Well, the reality today is threefold.

First, the precise steps must be taken by Iraq's political leaders, and they have not done that. Second, we cannot sustain this level of force past next spring because of the limits of our military structure. Third, the President has lost the confidence of the American people and the public support, and you cannot conduct a strategy without that.

That is not a political comment, that is a strategic tactical comment. According to the Field Manual, and I quote:

At the strategic level gaining and maintaining U.S. public support for a tactical deployment is critical.

We must change our strategy in Iraq. No strategy can be sustained, regardless of the slogan, without the necessary troops and strong public support, and in this case decisive action by the Iraqi political leadership. The longer we delay--the longer we delay--the more public support erodes and options to avoid a more chaotic redeployment disappear.

To those who urge delay, to wait until September, to wait until next spring, I would ask them to ask several questions: First, after 4 years of observing the political process in Baghdad, political maneuvering without effect, do they believe 6 weeks, until September, 6 months, or even 6 years will fundamentally change the sectarian political dynamic in Baghdad, the violent struggle between Shia, who feel paranoid, and Sunnis, who feel entitled to rule? Even on a tactical level, will 6 weeks or 6 months or 6 years provide irreversible progress on the ground without the political progress necessary?

The Levin-Reed amendment tries to recognize the reality on the ground both there and here and to shape our strategy to sustain an effort to serve the interest of this country, and we hope the region and the world, and I urge passage.

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