Washington, DC - Mr. Speaker and Members, our job is to protect our nation and we have thousands of young men and women doing that today.

 

"I believed in early 2003 that we should do more to capture or eliminate the people who caused the 9-11 attacks.  They were predominately in Afghanistan.

 

"Today it seems we have a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, and increasing attacks in Iraq on our troops and Iraqi citizens.

 

"We have seen success in capturing Saddam and eliminating Al-Zarqawi.  I have never doubted the ability of the men and women of our Armed Forces -- we saw what they were capable of in the first days of the war when they stormed Iraq and Baghdad within days, overwhelming the Iraqi forces. 

The accomplishments we have seen in Iraq can be attributed directly to the troops’ discipline and persistence in fighting the insurgency.

"Mistakes have been made, and some of the most experienced members of our Armed Forces have pointed that out. 

 

"One of the individuals who spoke out was retired Marine General and former chief of U.S. Central Command Anthony Zinni who said:

 

“We grow up in a culture where accountability, learning to accept responsibility, admitting mistakes and learning from them was critical to us.  When we don’t see that happening it worries us.  Poor military judgment has been used throughout this mission.”

As this war has gone on, the lack of planning and poor judgment by this Administration has become more apparent."

 

"I have here the May 1, 2003 press release here from the White House in which President Bush -- on board USS Abraham Lincoln -- declared all major combat operations have ended. 

We now know that this was one miscalculation among many.

 

"Since that time seven young men from our 29th Congressional District in Texas have lost their lives; across our nation over 2,300 servicemen and women have lost their lives since the President made those remarks. 

 

"Reading over these remarks it is clear that the Administration had no clear plan for securing Iraq after the invasion, and had no clue about what was to follow for the next three years.

 

"Given the size, strength and effectiveness of the insurgency, the Administration’s intelligence should have given some indication that there would be problems down the road and done a better job of preparing the public and more importantly our troops for what was to come in the following month and years. 

 

"It is clear that we did not have enough troops on the ground immediately after the invasion, and that shortage continues. 

 

"Fortunately, thanks to the relentless efforts by our Armed Forces, progress is being made.

"Congress does not direct troops on the ground and we are not the Commander-in-Chief, but we are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle and therefore we must debate what is occurring in Iraq.

 

"While I disagree with the way the Administration planned and carried out this war, I  support our troops and will continue to vote for Defense appropriations and supplemental dollars.

 

"Many brave men and women have given their lives in Baghdad, Fallujah, Ramadi, Mosul and across Iraq to bring peace and democracy to that country. 

 

"We honor them, their families, and the ultimate sacrifice they made serving their country.  I want our troops to come home soon.

 

"Mr. Speaker, this is not the war we anticipated fighting or the war we were led to believe we were getting into, but I believe we must finish our mission to leave a secure Iraq that can defend itself and be a symbol that democracy can prosper in the Muslim world." 

 

 

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