Responsible Redeployment From Iraq Act
Floor Speech
RESPONSIBLE REDEPLOYMENT FROM IRAQ ACT -- (House of Representatives - July 12, 2007)
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Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2956, the "Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act.''
This legislation mandates that we begin withdrawing our troops from Iraq within 120 days of enactment. This redeployment would have to be completed by April 2008. This is a commonsense measure to bring an end to our military involvement in Iraq. Frankly it is mindboggling that American troops are still fighting there in the first place.
For over 4 years we have worked to establish a secure, safe, and peaceful democracy in Iraq. Our military has done a valiant job in doing everything we asked of it. We have lost over 3,600 soldiers and more than 26,000 have been wounded in this effort. We have spent about $450 billion. Unfortunately, death and destruction still reign in Iraq.
President George W. Bush's plan is not working and the evidence of failure is mounting. President Bush announced his troop "surge'' 6 months ago. During that time about 600 troops have been killed, 3,000 have been wounded, and $60 billion has been spent. The recently released White House interim report shows there to have been unsatisfactory progress by the Iraqi government in meeting many of the benchmarks laid out by President Bush back in January.
With respect to President Bush's political benchmarks, the Iraqi government has made unsatisfactory progress on all of them. What this Iraqi civil war requires is an Iraqi political compromise, but the available evidence suggests that no one within the government is willing to make the sacrifices needed to make that happen. Why should American soldiers continue to sacrifice under such circumstances? Not one more drop of American blood should be shed in pursuit of President Bush's failed Iraq policy.
The American people agree. Recent polling shows that over 60 percent of the American people now believe sending troops to Iraq was a mistake and 71 percent support withdrawing our forces by April 2008, just as H.R. 2956 would require.
Despite the views of the American public and the clear evidence on the ground that our continued military presence in Iraq is not the solution, President Bush stubbornly refuses to change course and bring our troops home. Congress has the power and obligation to do what is right and force a new policy. Passing H.R. 2956 is the first step on that road, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this reasoned legislation.
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