Statement of The Honorable Mike Doyle Iraq Escalation Resolution February 15, 2007

Madam Speaker, as someone who has opposed this misguided diversion from the War on Terror from the very beginning, I believe it’s way past time for our country to take stock of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going in Iraq.

I think it’s important to remember how we got here.  President Bush told Congress and the American People:

That Saddam had weapons of mass destruction;

That Saddam was an imminent threat to the United States;

That Saddam had ties to al Qaeda and the 9/11 attackers;

That we would be greeted as liberators;      

That the invasion, occupation, and reconstruction would cost us nothing – and that Iraqi oil revenues would cover all the costs;  and

That the invasion and reconstruction of Iraq would transform the Middle East into a region composed of peaceful democracies.

So where are we today? 

We know that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction.  We know that Saddam posed no imminent threat to the United States.  We know that Saddam had no operational relationship with al Qaeda.  80 percent of the Iraqi people want us to leave their country. 

The invasion, occupation, and reconstruction of Iraq will cost us at least half a trillion dollars, not to mention the cost in human lives and international goodwill. 

More than 3,000 American soldiers are dead…between 60,000 and 600,000 Iraqis are dead.  More than 20,000 Americans and an unknown number of Iraqis have been wounded. 

The cost to the Iraqi economy is incalculable but clearly massive.

The cost here at home is significant as well.  We’re pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into the war.  That money could have been used to address the pressing problems we face in this country – problems like affordable health care, inadequate education, and outdated public infrastructure. 

The burden of the Iraq war is being born exclusively by our children and grandchildren, who will bear the debt – and the families of our military personnel, who at best, experience long separations and terrible worry, and at worst lose a beloved family member forever.

The invasion and occupation of Iraq has alienated our Allies and called our credibility into question around the world.  It has soured Middle Eastern attitudes about the United States and Western democracy.  And, finally, the invasion of Iraq got us into a long-term, bloody occupation of a country with no significant connection to the War on Terror – and diverted critical military and intelligence resources from the fight against al Qaeda.

The recently released National Intelligence Estimate concluded that there is little prospect for political reconciliation in Iraq at this time. 

So what should the United States do now?  What does victory in Iraq mean at this point? 

At this point, most of us would settle for any kind of political settlement in that country that ended the violence.  But the American people need to hear the truth, and the truth is, there is no happy ending for Iraq…as long as our presence allows the Maliki government to avoid making the political compromises necessary for peace in Iraq.

The President has proposed a significant increase in the number of US troops serving in Iraq.

I believe that Congress should oppose this escalation.  I don’t believe that it has any real chance of producing a political solution to the war in Iraq – or even of curbing the violence in Baghdad.

I’m not alone in this belief…General Colin Powell, General George Casey, General John Abizaid, General Joseph Hoar, General Barry McCaffrey, Major General Don Sheppard and General James Conway oppose this escalation.

Many supporters of the President’s Iraq policy ask what those of us who oppose this military escalation would support instead. 

This Member of Congress believes that the United States should begin an immediate, orderly redeployment of our troops out of Iraq, with the goal of completing that redeployment by the end of the year.  We should lead and enlist the participation of all neighboring countries in a massive diplomatic surge to help contain the civil war already underway – and that diplomatic surge should include ALL of the countries in the region, including Iran and Syria.  The only way to bring stability to that region is through a regional effort.

Our troops have performed with courage, compassion, and professionalism.  They did everything that was asked of them.  Their work in Iraq is done. 

We gave the Iraqis their freedom.  It’s up to them to decide what they’ll do with it.  It’s time for the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security.  It’s time for the Iraqis to decide if Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds wish to share resources, share power and coexist peacefully as one country.  America cannot force them to do this no matter how long we stay there….. Only the Iraqi people can decide this.

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This document last modified: 17 October 2006