Do Not Trivialize Need to Internationalize Iraq

DO NOT TRIVIALIZE NEED TO INTERNATIONALIZE IRAQ

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, last night in his State of the Union address to the Nation, President Bush attempted to deride critics who have called upon him to broaden the coalition and internationalize the effort to provide security to Iraq and rebuild that war-torn nation. The President said, "This particular criticism is hard to explain to our partners in Britain." And then he named 15 other countries and cited 17 others.

I respect the contributions that these other nations have made in Iraq, some of which like Spain, Italy and Japan have also lost sons to the war in Iraq. But let us not be disingenuous on the subject of our allies in Iraq. With the exception of the United Kingdom, none are engaged in the arduous combat-related work that confronts the 130,000 American troops in Iraq who have endured over 500 dead and thousands of wounded among their ranks. And none carry the financial burden that the American taxpayer provides for the security of Iraq. President Bush should not trivialize the need to create a genuine international coalition capable of sharing the burdens of building a safe, secure and democratic Iraq.

I would like to have heard President Bush talk about how the United States needs the help, support and expertise of the United Nations, which has also paid in blood for our Iraq policy to ensure that the democracy-building and election process in Iraq are inclusive and successful. I would have liked to have heard President Bush talk about how the international community could help in the prosecution of Saddam Hussein so that his trial has credibility both inside and outside Iraq. I would have liked to have heard just one word from President Bush that indicates that he gets it, that he understands the United States must work with allies, NATO and the United Nations in order to secure the manpower and money necessary for a secure and stable Iraq. Certainly those of us concerned about the resources of our Federal budget understand this as we prepare to receive another supplemental spending request for at least $50 billion sometime later this year. That is $50 billion in addition to the more than $120 billion we have already spent so far on Iraq over the last year.

And, most of all, our troops on the ground understand this, including the members and families of our National Guard and Reserves who have served so valiantly, despite open-ended deployments and equipment shortages. But President Bush simply does not get it and last night he outlined how he will stay on the same go-it-alone course that has so alienated the rest of the world, diminished the credibility of U.S. foreign policy and intelligence, undermined international institutions, and left us resented rather than respected.

I do not believe the United States needs a permission slip to act when our security is genuinely threatened, but we now know that with Iraq, our security was never in imminent danger. There were no weapons of mass destruction. Instead, last night the President talked about "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities," whatever that means. There were no ties to Osama bin Laden, whose name the President never even mentioned last night.

There was only a driving hunger to overthrow the Iraqi regime from the moment this administration entered the White House.

The unilateral and arrogant way in which the Bush administration has handled the Iraq war and its aftermath has resulted in a U.S. occupation that has cost us dearly in terms of human life and precious resources. It would have been nice if the President had even acknowledged last night the 500 American soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in Iraq and the thousands more who have been wounded.

Mr. Speaker, the exaggeration and the manipulation of intelligence and our changing rationales for our involvement have diminished the credibility and standing of the United States around the globe in ways that I truly believe undermine our security. Now we have a moral obligation to rebuild Iraq and to safeguard the Iraqi people, and we can only do that successfully with the help and support of the United Nations and the broader international community. It would have been nice if President Bush had taken just a few seconds in an hour-long speech to acknowledge that reality last night.