Congressman José E. Serrano

Representing the Sixteenth District of New York

PRESS RELEASE

Serrano Statement on Failed Iraq Policies

Washington, DC – June 15, 2006 – Today the House of Representatives debated the Iraq conflict—a war and occupation that Congressman José E. Serrano opposed from its inception. The following is the text of his remarks.

 

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June 15, 2006

 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about Iraq, a failure built on the lies of this Administration.

 

            I am opposed to H. Res. 861, because contrary to what it states in this resolution, I believe that it is in the best interest of the United States to bring our troops home now.

 

            I voted against our involvement in Iraq, and I have opposed funding the conflict.  For years, I have been calling for the return of our soldiers.  This war has been a mistake, and our continued participation will not change this basic fact. 

 

            I have the utmost respect for our former Secretary of State Colin Powell.  He was a truly outstanding Secretary of State.  However, I will never forget how this great American was sent to the United Nations to sell a fabrication and to convince the world that this was a just endeavor with what we all now know was deliberately falsified evidence.  This was just one part of a continuous effort to deceive the American public into believing that a conflict, that even many in our military had misgivings about, was the right thing for our nation to do. 

 

            The image of our President standing on the aircraft carrier and proclaiming “mission accomplished” is one that I continue to associate with this failed effort.  Since that fabricated public relations moment, both our nation and the nation of Iraq have suffered great personal loss.

 

            The American public no longer supports our involvement in Iraq, and we as their representatives, must respect their wishes and bring our troops home. 

 

            I am saddened and heartbroken when I think about how many brave young men and women have died in this conflict that was never in our nation’s interest.   Many of these courageous young soldiers who have lost their lives came from the Bronx, from my own community, and so it is partly on their behalf that I believe I am now speaking.  Too many American soldiers have died, too many innocent Iraqi civilians have suffered and lost their lives, and too many reporters have been killed – all as a result of this failed policy.

 

            As I thought about what I wanted to say on the floor today, I went back to the remarks that I spoke on this floor on October 9, 2002, when this House was voting on the authorization for the use of military force against Iraq.  At that time I certainly couldn’t anticipate what the conditions would be now in June of 2006.  However, I said at the time, “When we engage as a nation in a unilateral military action against an Arab Nation, an action that our allies are cautioning against, how will the United States be viewed in the Arab world?  Perhaps the result will be an increase in Al Qaeda’s membership and a renewed hatred toward Americans.”  I think that this has come true and that our image as a nation has certainly been tarnished as a result of this conflict.  I regret that – because I know that we live in a nation that does not want to be seen as an enemy by those who live in Arab nations.

 

            What has also come true is that Al Qaeda continues to flourish and to find new recruits as a direct result of our nation’s actions in Iraq.  Although Al Qaeda had at most a negligible presence in Iraq before this conflict, it is now a well established force there.  For every terrorist that our nation works so hard to capture, another one is motivated to join out of hate for our nation’s involvement in Iraq.

 

            This conflict has resulted in worldwide images that I doubt our nation can ever overcome.  The pictures associated with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal are firmly etched on the minds of our next generation of youth around the world.  Although soldiers of low rank were prosecuted for these atrocities, our leaders at the top never took responsibility. 

 

            Now an investigation is being conducted into our activities at Haditha, where it seems as though innocent civilians died.   These actions are all a direct result of a failed policy and have come at great cost to our image in the world.  No longer do nations look at us as the ultimate protector of human rights.      

 

            As everyone here knows, I am a part of the city that was a target on September 11^th.  When this Congress was debating the resolution on the use of force against Iraq, I did not believe at the time that in attacking Iraq our country was taking the right course, and I didn’t know what words to use that would change the step towards war that our nation seemed so determined to take.  I was filled with emotion and I ended my speech that night by saying, “I cannot agree with the course that our great nation is embarking on, one that brings the threat of war closer and the goal of peace further away.” 

 

            So now once again we in Congress are debating this war.  However, now we have the perspective of time and we can look at all that happened in Iraq, the suffering and the failures, as an unfortunate part of our nation’s history.  As I once again struggle to find the words that can bring this conflict to an end – I am again filled with emotion.   Let us bring our brave American soldiers home now and let us once again embrace the goal of peace.

 

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Congressman José E. Serrano has represented the Bronx in the House of Representatives since 1990.