In Support of the Mission in Iraq and Afghanistan

Mr./Madam Chairman, I rise in support of House Resolution 861 and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.

The debate we are having today serves as an important reminder to all Americans that we are a nation at war.  This war is against an enemy that embraces hate and intolerance over life and liberty.  Like other wars in our history, the human and financial costs are high.  We mourn the loss of each and every American who has made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation.  All Americans are forever indebted to these courageous citizens and their families.

It is understandable that Americans worry for the safety of our troops and have doubts as reports of suicide bombings and other attacks air regularly on television.  But, as in the war against fascism in the 20th century, and as demonstrated by the tragic attacks of 9-11, the stakes for our nation and our democratic allies throughout the world could not be higher.        

I have traveled to Afghanistan twice and Iraq four times over the past four and one-half years.  During these visits, there have been two constants that have instilled confidence in me about our mission and progress in these countries. 

First is the professionalism, courage, and sense of duty displayed by our men and women in uniform.  Whenever you thank our soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen for their service, they humbly reply, "I'm just doing my job."   

Their job, of course, is to protect our way of life.  To protect the lives of our nation's citizens and the principles for which our great nation stands. 

Our troops have removed truly brutal regimes from power in Afghanistan and Iraq.  They have denied terrorists two safe havens.  They have eliminated the threat that a murderous dictator who used weapons of mass destruction on his own people - a dictator who continued to defy United Nations resolutions and shoot at American planes enforcing the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq - would again produce and brandish such weapons once international support for sanctions broke down. 

Our men and women in uniform are building schools and roads, training police and soldiers, and hunting down terrorists.  They are fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Iraq so we don't have to fight them here at home.  They are helping the Iraqi security forces stand up so we can stand down. 

In place of the regimes of terror and torture in Iraq and Afghanistan, we now have duly elected constitutional governments.  Governments that are working to promote democracy in a region of the world that has rarely embraced it.  The citizens of these nations have demonstrated their intense desire for freedom through their willingness to face down threats of violence and death in casting their votes in numerous national elections in both countries.
 
The devotion to duty of our men and women in uniform is truly inspiring.  The sacrifices of these patriotic Americans on the front lines of the Global War on Terrorism, as well as the sacrifices of their family members on the home front, have earned the respect, admiration, and eternal gratitude of all Americans, as well as that of 50 million Afghani and Iraqi citizens who are free today because of the troops' successes.

The second constant in my visits to Afghanistan and Iraq is the genuine gratefulness expressed by the Iraqi and Afghani people for our nation's actions in liberating them and giving them a chance at freedom.  Again and again, what I heard was simply:  "Thank you for liberating our citizens." 

On my first visit to Iraq, I met with the Mayor of Kirkuk, Abdul Rehman Mustafa, and other Kirkuk city leaders.  Mayor Mustafa specifically asked my colleagues and me, upon our return home, to thank our nation's mothers and fathers for their willingness to support their children, our troops, in going into harm's way to defeat Saddam Hussein and thus liberate Iraq and its citizens.  In the words of Dr. Kemal Kirkuki, one of Mayor Mustafa's colleagues on the Kirkuk City Council, "This was not a war against Iraq.  It was a war to liberate Iraq." 

On another trip, I met with a group of Iraqi women leaders, including Safia Taleb al-Suhail.  This group of female government and private sector leaders exemplifies the transformation of Iraq from a nation ruled by terror and torture to one in which men and women alike have constitutional rights and opportunities.  Safia shared with me how her late father, an opponent of Saddam Hussein, was killed in 1994 while living in exile in Lebanon by Saddam's intelligence service.  Ten years later, Safia was named Iraq's Ambassador to Egypt. 

The general consensus of these Iraqi women leaders was that they couldn't wait for the day when our and all Coalition troops could return home and Iraq did not need the military assistance of other nations.  These Iraqi women leaders emphasized, however, how glad they were that our and the other Coalition troops were there ensuring the freedom of all Iraqis.

On my most recent trip to Iraq, I observed and met with Iraqi soldiers undergoing basic training.  There are now over 260,000 Iraqis trained and equipped to fight the insurgency.  Iraqis like those I met with at the East Fallujah training camp continue to stand in line and volunteer for service in Iraqi military and police units, even though they know that said service makes them a likely target for the insurgents.  The Iraqi soldiers I met expressed their deep thanks for what our troops have done in their country.   

The Global War on Terrorism in the broad sense and the specific battles in Iraq and Afghanistan will not be won according to a specified timetable, and our enemy cannot be appeased.  But we can and will win this war because our cause is just and right.  And winning this war will ensure the democratic gains made in Afghanistan and Iraq are not lost.  Winning this war will also have a far-reaching and critically important impact in other Middle East countries. 

The security of our nation and its citizens, along with the defense of the ideals of freedom, democracy, and justice, is what is at stake in this global struggle of good over evil.  This struggle requires us to go beyond Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative - just as previous generations did to defeat the totalitarian ideologies of the 20th century.  And, in the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the beginning of the Second World War, it means going forward, "with confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people," in order to "gain the inevitable triumph."

May God watch over our troops serving in harm's way, and may God continue to bless our great nation - the United States of America. 

Thank you.  I yield back the remainder of my time.