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More Drumbeats to War
Remarks
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
September 10, 2008

 

Mr. Speaker:

The sounds we are hearing, and the signals we are seeing from the Administration remind me of the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq. 

For all those supporters of the President who claimed six years ago that military intervention in Iraq would be the U.S. option of last resort, we know now that war was the first, pre-ordained and only option of this Administration. They just had to cook the books to make the American people believe otherwise. 

America has paid a very steep price: American lives lost, Iraqi lives lost, a trillion dollars lost, American moral leadership in the world lost.  And we cannot afford to let this Administration do it again with a military strike against Iran before the President and Vice President leave office in January.

The news of late is deeply troubling.  And we have a responsibility to remind Americans of the Administration’s penchant to conduct diplomacy with bullets and bombs. 

I believe the people have the right to know and the right to demand that this Administration, and the Republican ticket for the presidency, declare there will be no military strike against Iran by U.S. forces, or on our behalf through a U.S. ally like Israel.

My concerns come directly out of the reporting by credible, mainstream international news organizations that have built their reputation on credibility.

I ask unanimous consent to enter into the Record a September 1^st story in the Jerusalem Post.  The headline is:  Dutch intel:  US to strike Iran in coming weeks.  I also ask unanimous consent to enter into the Record the August 29^th Jerusalem Post story entitled:  Israel reaches strategic decision not to let Iran go nuclear.

These and other stories should remind us that this Administration remains in office for several months, but years ago, forfeited their trust with the American people over their Iraq war.

What is especially worrisome to me is that the Administration has shifted the Iraq war to the air in an effort to make an antiseptic war that might be more acceptable to the American people. 

We’re grateful that US casualties in Iraq are down significantly, but when a war should never have been started, every single casualty is a price too high.

And today the US is an unwelcome occupier and the Administration is ignoring the wishes of the elected Iraqi government to set a date to leave.  Instead, the White House is trying to run their country and continue this war. 

Bombs falling from 30,000 feet have the same devastating impact on innocent Iraqi civilians as bullets and bombs at street level.  We just don’t hear about it much in the American news media.  But I hear about it from people in the Mideast, who wonder if we will ever leave Iraq and worry that an antiseptic aerial war will be used against Iran. 

Where once we stood tall on the moral high ground, now decent people the world over question our motives, our resolve and our moral leadership.  They fear- and I do - that this Administration will make the calculation that as long as we drop bombs from 30,000 feet, or fire Cruise missiles from 300 miles off-shore, the American people can be misled into another war.  We must not let that happen.

The current leadership in Iran has few if any friends in this House today, and I am not one of them.  But we cannot solve every challenge that confronts us with military confrontation.  And we cannot meet other challenges when our moral high ground has turned into shifting sands during this Administration.

When Russia invades Georgia, who in the world is going to listen to the rhetoric of a US President who invaded Iraq?

When Iraq says set a timetable to leave and this President says no, who in the world is going to listen to a President who says Iraq is a sovereign nation?

And when this Administration says they aren’t planning a military strike against Iran, why would anyone in the world believe it when in the fine print there says all the options are on the table.

Instead of occupying Iraq, the US should be occupying the moral high ground.  And we can start by stopping any effort to use force against Iran. Let’s do it today before it is too late.

We need a vote, Mr. Speaker, before we do anything against Iran.

Thank you.