Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today, during National Peace Corps week, to commemorate the service of the current 7,749 Peace Corp volunteers making long-lasting contributions to communities in 73 countries around the world.

Forty-six years ago, President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps with the aim of enabling ordinary men and women to combat the debilitating effects of poverty, disease, and war in developing countries. More than 187,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries, and it is clear that the Peace Corps' impact has been truly extraordinary.

The leadership embodied in the Peace Corps Volunteers have helped farmers find new efficient methods for crop production, developed new business plans for economically depressed communities, and inspired countless children by acting as mentors and teachers. Their compassion and commitment to service have led to significant achievements in fostering improved understanding and strengthening the bonds of friendship.

Peace Corps Volunteers remain committed to addressing some of the world's most pressing problems today. These men and women have offered crucial assistance to communities struggling to halt the spread of HIV/ AIDS, to regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and to countries rebuilding after deadly tsunamis. For their brave service and dedication, these Volunteers deserve to be commended.

To date, the 6th District of California has produced almost 400 Peace Corps Volunteers, including the following 28 current volunteers: Troy A. Agron, who is working in Azerbaijan; Caron L. Alarab, Guinea; Carol A. Batz, Tonga; Libby A. Bersot, Botswana; Jennifer M. Busick, Bolivia; Eldon L. Christenson, Guinea; Rustin P. Crandall, Guyana; Joseph P. Deschenes, Albania; Tameron A. Eaton, Eastern Caribbean; Amil A. Gehrke, Georgia; Robyn M. Grahn, Honduras; Donald F. Hesse, Jordan; Jessica D. Holloway, Armenia; Connor J. Kamada, Senegal; Anna F. Kuhn, Tanzania; Abigail M. Lafrenz, Bulgaria; Bridget M. Leddy, Kyrgyzstan; Ana Alecia Lyman, Mozambique; Sydney F. McCall, Bolivia; Morgan C. Montgomery, Honduras; Laura M. Norton, Madagascar; Jordan M. Reeves, Panama; Uriah S. Reisman, Panama; Jacob E. Rich, Peru; Emily C. Ryan, China; Elicia F. Smith, Kenya; Katherine L. Theiss-Nyland, Malawi; Kyla H. Wall-Polin, Bulgaria.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today to honor the 46th anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Corps and to celebrate the achievements of these passionate men and women who have succeeded in making our world more peaceful.

Mr. Speaker and my esteemed colleagues, one of the most grievous blunders in the whole Iraq debacle was the total failure to figure out what we would do after toppling Saddam Hussein. The architects of this war thought that was the whole task. Mission accomplished.

There was no plan for how to manage the aftermath. No plan for keeping the peace in a country with deep sectarian divisions, no plan for how to institute democracy in a society with no democratic infrastructure or institutions. Well, now we see history repeating itself, because The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Bush administration and top military commanders apparently have no idea what the next step is if the troop escalation plan fails, which General Petraeus himself believes probably will.

The Post reports that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Peter Pace, told a meeting of the Nation's Governors: ``I'm a Marine, and Marines don't talk about failure. They talk about victory.''

Well, confidence is one thing. Single mindedness is another, and, frankly, if the Bush national security team had a better track record of smart decisions and strategic successes, I might be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. But as it turns out, these folks have been wrong, very wrong, throughout most of this occupation.

Indeed, when President Bush announced the so-called surge nearly 2 months ago, he essentially conceded that mistakes had been made and not everything his administration has done in Iraq has gone by design.

But as yesterday's Post article points out, we are way beyond plan B. This is more like plan D. There have been many times that we have been told the necessary adjustments are being made to achieve victory, whatever that means, in the context of Iraq.

But here we are, 4 years into this war, still spinning our wheels and nearly 3,200 Americans dead, and the ones who come home in one piece sent to military hospitals that are in deplorable conditions, often delivering substandard care. How many more chances does the Bush administration get to make things right in Iraq? I say: none. There is only one solution: bring our troops home in short order as soon as logistically and safely as possible.

In a way, actually, all the discussion about whether plan A, B, C, D, is, at best, something of a distraction is like arguing about what was the worst part of a root canal. The fact is, the whole Iraq enterprise was fundamentally flawed from the beginning and never should have been launched in the first place. There is not much we can do now to reverse the unforgivable mistake of this Iraq occupation and the unspeakable damages done, but we can do something to ensure it doesn't last a minute longer. We can here in the United States Congress use our Constitutional powers to ensure that not one more family has to lose a son or daughter, a husband or wife, a mother or father for someone else's ideological mess.

It is time, Mr. Speaker. It is time for this tragic chapter in American history to finally end. It is time to bring our troops home.

Madam Chair, actually I am going to speak today as a former human resources manager and human resources professional for over 20 years. I know what it takes to manage competitive and productive workforces; and believe me, I know the difference that paying a decent wage, having health and retirement benefits make in a worker's life, and how work performance is enhanced when workers know that a full workday results in pay that they can actually afford to live on, to raise their family on.

Unfortunately, today workers are facing falling wages, they are facing fewer benefits, and that is a fact that is directly related to the disappearance of our middle class here in the United States of America.

Since union workers earn about 30 percent more than nonunion workers per week, are almost twice as likely to have employer-sponsored health benefits and defined pension plans compared to only one in seven nonunion workers, the ability to organize will make a huge difference in bringing our middle class back.

Madam Chair, H.R. 800 is the prescription that we need to right a weakened middle class, bring it back to health again. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, support American workers.

Mr. Speaker, it is getting to the point where I am almost afraid to pick up the newspaper every morning because day after day, there is more grim news out of Iraq and the Middle East. More revelations about the scandalous mismanagement of this war and its aftermath. More evidence that the current administration is jeopardizing our national security.

There has been a lot of rhetoric here on Capitol Hill about who supposedly does and does not support the troops. I personally believe we should call a moratorium on ``support the troops'' demagoguery until the conditions at Walter Reed Hospital finally reach the level that our veterans deserve.

It is positively disgraceful, Mr. Speaker. After risking life and limb for our country, our soldiers are sent to a moldy, rodent-infested facility where they receive inadequate care. And today, we read that Walter Reed officials were aware of problems and heard complaints, but largely ignored them.

The squalid living conditions of Walter Reed are just one symptom of a completely ineffective and unaccountable bureaucracy. According to the Washington Post, nonEnglish speaking families have a difficult time getting the information and services they need. One mother of a soldier said, ``If they could have Spanish-speaking recruits to convince my son to go into the Army, why can't they have Spanish-speaking translators when he is injured?'' Her point is telling. It appears that our government is very eager to sign you up, but much less enthusiastic about communicating with you once you have been shot down.

Meanwhile, conditions in the Middle East are rapidly deteriorating. The most disturbing recent news is that the Taliban and al Qaeda, remember, they are the ones who bear direct responsibility for 9/11, these folks are on the rebound and they are stepping up the violence in Afghanistan. They are so emboldened that they launched a suicide bomb attack right outside the Air Force base where the Vice President was staying during his recent trip to the region.

Curiously, that same Vice President seems to think it is those of us who want to end the Iraq occupation that are validating the al Qaeda strategy. That was the line he used in attacking our Speaker last week. Well, I think the Vice President isn't in a position to throw stones, Mr. Speaker. First of all, al Qaeda didn't have anything to do in Iraq until the administration launched its pre-emptive strike nearly 4 years ago. Furthermore, it was this administration that had bin Laden sounded at Tora Bora and let him get away. And it is this administration that has taken its eye off the ball in Afghanistan, diverting resources from a nation-building project to pursue the ideological fantasy of conquering Iraq.

The new director of national intelligence, Mike McConnell, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week: ``Long-term prospects for eliminating the Taliban threat appear dim, so long as the sanctuary remains in Pakistan, and there are no encouraging signs that Pakistan is eliminating it.''

And whose fault is that, Mr. Speaker? Not the Speaker of the House.

Unbelievably, when the White House spokesman was asked about the Pakistani Government's failure to cooperate, he answered: ``We're often asked to give our report cards on other heads of state. I'm not going to play.''

We have sure come a long way from the tough talk of 2001. Remember how we were told that those who harbored terrorists would be treated just as harshly as the terrorists themselves?

Journalist Spencer Ackerman assesses the Afghanistan situation this way: ``After two wars, we're in some sense right back where we were before 9/11 itself: unable to invade the territory where al Qaeda possesses a stronghold and groping for alternatives, while the intelligence community puts out warnings about the urgency of the threat. Except this time,'' he continues, ``our entire national security apparatus is overtaxed from the strains of two wars, wars that were supposed

to significantly diminish, if not remove, the very threat that's regaining strength.

Mr. Speaker, we must not lose our nerve. It is the responsibility of this body, carrying a mandate from the American people, to correct the grievous mistakes and reverse the disastrous course of this administration.

We must devote ourselves to democracy-building, reconstruction and humanitarian assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must bring our troops home from Iraq. And once they're home, we must treat them with the dignity and respect they've earned.

Madam Speaker, together with my colleague, Mr. Thompson from California, I rise today to recognize the outstanding career of Robin Schaef of Petaluma, California. Ms. Schaef is retiring after 21 years of service with the County of Sonoma.

Robin began her career of service in Sonoma County as the Executive Director of Petaluma People Services Center where she increased the budget from $255,000 to $600,000 in less than five years.

She then accepted the position of Director of the Sonoma County Multipurpose Senior Services Program. This newly formed county case management program served a caseload of 200 clients.

Ms. Schaef's strong leadership and management skills were a determining factor in her promotion to Director of the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging in 1987. When the County reorganized eight years later, her vision and skills made her the natural choice to become the Department Head of the Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging. In this capacity she oversaw five programs with a staff of 60: the Area Agency on Aging and its 21 member Advisory Council, In-Home Support Services, Adult Protective Services, the Multipurpose Senior Services Program and the Veterans Services Office.

In addition to her work for the County of Sonoma, Ms. Schaef has served in leadership positions in professional organizations at the local, state and national level. These include the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and C4A.

Madam Speaker, Robin has dedicated herself to developing and delivering essential social services to the elders of our county and persons with disabilities. She has set an example of visionary leadership that has been invaluable to Sonoma County. Mr. Thompson and I wish to thank her for all she has meant to so many, and wish her much happiness and fulfillment as she retires.

Mr. Speaker, last week British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that more than 1,600 British soldiers would be sent home from Iraq. By recalling troops from Iraq, the British government has sent a very clear message that increasing the number of troops is not the right strategy. In fact, the British government has come to the same conclusion that many Americans have reached almost 4 years ago. We should be ending the military occupation of Iraq, not expanding it. We should be supporting the men and women who have served bravely in Iraq by sending them home, not sending them back for their fourth or their fifth tour of duty after only a very few months of spending time with their families.

The British government's decision to scale back its military commitment in Iraq should have been another important wake up call to President Bush. However, the President has continued his course to go it alone, regardless of the staggering costs to our Nation.

President Bush has drained America's reservoir of goodwill by ignoring the facts on the ground, the advice of his generals, and the will of the American public. By stubbornly pursuing the same misguided policies over and over again, he has left it to Congress to stop him.

Two weeks ago, the House took an important first step by overwhelmingly passing a bipartisan resolution condemning the President's decision to send more than 20,000 additional American soldiers to the front lines. I commend the Democratic leadership, and I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for having the courage to stand up to the President and to oppose his escalation. This vote, however, is only the first step.

Now that the House has stood up to disagree with the President, we must use this consensus to take on the urgent job of bringing our troops safely home.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a co founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus, I have introduced a comprehensive and detailed plan to end the occupation while ensuring that we achieve security and stability in Iraq. My bill, H.R. 508, the Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act, now has 47 cosponsors.

H.R. 508 will provide for a fully funded withdrawal of U.S. troops and contractors from Iraq within a 6-month period. During the time of that 6-month passage, our troops will return home to receive the full health care benefits they deserve because we owe them, we owe them no less for their sacrifices. And while they are coming home, we will be putting those laws into place, ensuring they get their benefits.

Also during that 6-month withdrawal period, our government will accelerate the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, and if requested by the Iraqi government, we will work with the international community to provide a stabilization force to enhance Iraq's security.

Additionally, my bill would prohibit the establishment of permanent U.S. bases in Iraq, and we would return control of Iraq's oil resources to the Iraqi people. The only way to restore stability to Iraq is to return the country to the Iraqis, and we must work with our allies to achieve this. But when the Bush administration, in spite of all the advice to the contrary, decides to escalate the occupation, and the British government takes the sensible path of withdrawal, they both can't be right.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot afford to wait for the President to realize his mistake. Too many brave men and brave women have died and suffered to continue this occupation. We must stand up, we must demand, we must bring our troops home. That is how we can protect our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an organization that has been at the forefront of the fight for civil and political liberty. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, our Nation's oldest civil rights organization, has been on the right side of history for 98 years.

Doing the right thing wasn't an easy task, especially given the entrenched discrimination black Americans faced. When African Americans were victims of lynching; when hostile government policies forced black Americans into substandard, segregated schools; when black voters were disenfranchised by poll taxes and other unfair barriers, the NAACP stepped up to help end discrimination and do what was right.

I feel privileged to represent a district with a strong branch of the NAACP. The Sonoma County NAACP was co-founded by my friends Gilbert and Alice Gray and other local activists. Alice was a dedicated volunteer and fearless leader. Almost 1 year ago, I rose to honor Alice after her passing. Some of her accomplishments bear mentioning again, for the scope and depth of her activism. In 1954, she

led protests against segregated local business; she helped establish the National Association of Negro Busness and Professional Women's Club in Sonoma; and she helped at-risk kids in the community achieve their fullest potential by mentoring them. She also launched the Gray Foundation with her husband to help students pursue their educational goals and serve their community--``to listen and learn from the traditions of self-help and self-reliance that once gave our people strength.'' She was an amazing woman who honored us with her presence and the NAACP with her service.

To appreciate more fully the immense importance of the NAACP over the last century, a quick look at some of their political victories on a national scale is in order. The NAACP was instrumental in the signing of President Harry Truman's Executive order banning discrimination in 1948. The NAACP helped pass the Equal Employment Opportunity Act; the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and last year's reauthorization. The NAACP led sit-ins to protest segregated lunch counters, which led to many stores officially desegregating their counters. They also educated the public about the legacies of slavery and the importance of coming to terms with the past--for example, by protesting the racist film Birth of a Nation, or by taking out ads in major U.S. newspapers to give readers the facts about lynching. Thanks to the NAACP's courage, we all live in a fairer and more just Nation today. We owe this group a trmendous debt.

I am honored to be an original cosponsor of this bill to honor the NAACP and I thank Congressman Al Green for introducing it. It is important for every American to realize the great impact this institution has had on our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am a member of the Progressive Caucus and the Out of Iraq Caucus, and I have been working to bring our troops home since before we sent them there.

Mr. Speaker, the decision to send more brave Americans into the Iraq grinder is an act of staggering arrogance for the President. Nearly two-thirds of our people think this is a deeply flawed, tragically misguided policy. They get it, Mr. Speaker. They can see that more troops won't stop the sectarian violence, because it is our very military presence that ignited this sectarian violence in the first place.

The human cost in Iraq has been devastating. By some estimates, several hundred thousand Iraq citizens have died, died for the cause of their own so-called liberation. No wonder a majority of Iraqis want the occupation to end.

As the late columnist Molly Ivins put it, ``Iraq is clearly hubris carried to the point of insanity. It is damn hard to convince people you're killing them for their own good.''

I hope that an overwhelming vote in favor of this resolution will compel the President to rethink his Iraq policy. But, if not, this body will have no choice but to take further steps. Ultimately we must do more than send a message. We must send a convoy of military planes to bring our troops home.

Together with my colleagues, Congresswomen Lee and Waters, I have offered a plan to end the war once and for all. Our bill is H.R. 508, the Bring Our Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act. H.R. 508 would complete a fully funded military withdrawal from Iraq within 6 months of enactment, because our military and their families have given enough for this policy that is only increasing the terrorist threat and doing damage to our national security. The bill would accelerate the training of Iraqi Security Forces during that 6-month period. And because Iraq is not yet ready to defend its people against thugs, insurgents and militias, our bill calls for an international stabilization force to help keep the peace in Iraq. But it would stay only for 2 more years and would deploy only at the request of the Iraqi Government.

Because we have already poured enough of the people's money down this sinkhole, H.R. 508 would prohibit any further funding to deploy U.S. troops, but would provide the resources for a safe withdrawal of all of our U.S. military personnel and contractors.

The proposal would also provide for humanitarian aid and major investments to rebuild Iraq's physical and economic infrastructure, because taking our troops out of Iraq doesn't mean abandoning Iraq.

We can and we must go from military occupier to reconstruction partner.

Our proposal expressly prohibits the construction of U.S. military bases in Iraq because it is that kind of permanent occupation that fuels the rage and anti-American jihadists in the Middle East.

Iraq should belong to the Iraqis, and that includes Iraq's resources. So under the terms of our bill, the United States would forfeit any proprietary claim to Iraqi oil.

Finally, H.R. 508 guarantees full health care funding, including mental health benefits, for U.S. veterans in military operations in Iraq and other conflicts. It is the least, the very least, we can do to express our gratitude and repay their sacrifices.

Mr. Speaker, we must never, ever forget what war does to bodies, to minds, to families, to communities and to the human soul. The victims of war are not pieces to be moved around on a chess board. They are our fellow citizens in a global village that gets smaller every day. They are our brothers. They are our sisters. They are God's children and have as much right to human dignity as you or I.

The one thing I desperately hope we have learned from the Iraq nightmare is that we must find more sensible, humane ways to keep America safe and resolve global conflict because, if we do not, given the kinds of weapons that are available today, I fear that we are putting the entire planet on a path toward destruction.

I fear most of all for our children. ``War,'' said Martin Luther King, Jr., ``is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow.'' Mr. Speaker, tomorrow belongs to our children. So, for their sake, we must find alternatives to war. We must protect America by relying not on our basest impulses, but on the most honorable and humane of American values, our love of freedom, our desire for peace, our capacity for global leadership, and our compassion for the people of the world.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow this House will begin a debate on Iraq. This is the first of a series of debates that we must have on the House floor. It is a resolution. It reflects President Bush's plan to escalate the occupation of Iraq, and it will be a clean up or down vote.

I commend the Democratic leadership for providing a time for every single Member of this body to come to the floor and have their say. If you support escalation, you vote ``yes.'' If not, you vote ``no.'' I will support the legislation as a very important first step in this debate.

But after that, Congress must go on record in opposition of the war in general. First we have to go on record in opposition of escalation, and then we must change our course and lay out a plan to bring our troops home. There have been many, many ideas, both inside and outside of Congress, to plan for an end to this occupation of Iraq.

Few are as comprehensive as H.R. 508, the Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Act. I introduced this bill last month and have 34, 35 cosponsors today, with more interest expressed every single day.

H.R. 508 will end the occupation of Iraq within 6 months of passage. It will accelerate the training and equipping of Iraqi military and security forces while preparing to bring our troops and contractors out of Iraq safely.

It will commit to working with the international community to assist the Iraqis in rebuilding and in reconciliation if they agree and want us to be there. H.R. 508 will fully fund the health care commitment to our returning veterans. Additionally, the bill revokes the President's Iraq war powers, prevents the establishment of permanent bases in Iraq, and returns the oil rights to the Iraqi people.

We owe it to our brave men and brave women in uniform and to the Iraqi people to bring our troops home now. Let us be honest, the Iraqis don't want us there. They view us as an occupying force. They want to be strengthening their security forces, and they want to establish a reliable and dependable infrastructure and provide for their most basic needs like sanitation, health care, and education.

We can assist them; but in the end, Iraq must belong to the Iraqi people. Having learned from our past, we will never turn our backs on the returning troops, those who have been put in an unimaginable position. They have seen death; they have seen destruction up close, in a way many of us will never understand. They are returning with scars, both visible and invisible. The least we can do is fulfill our commitment to them by fully funding the medical services they have been promised. This is not a gift we are giving them. This is a right, this is an entitlement.

So I rise tonight, and I will rise again during the three days of debate to signal my support for the upcoming resolution as a very important first step: my support for the troops and their promised benefits, my support for the American people, who want our troops home.

Madam Speaker, you will recall that the hallmark of the

President's so-called surge, the escalation of troops into Iraq, was that Iraqi forces would actually be on the front lines, while American troops would be providing support.

In fact, a White House fact sheet from the day the President announced escalation, says that the primary element of the strategy is to let the Iraqis lead.

Well, the escalation has begun, and not only are they not leading, we are lucky if they even show up. That is right. Reportedly, as many as 50 percent of the Iraqi troops expected and needed for the Baghdad operation aren't reporting to duty. This doesn't bode well, Madam Speaker. American troops will now bear the brunt of what promises to be deadly, violent, urban warfare.

We are now finding out that the escalation will be twice as large as the President has said, requiring 48,000 additional troops, as opposed to 21,000, as originally announced by the President. Now, if Iraqis aren't prepared for the fight, it is easy to imagine still more U.S. soldiers being sent into the grinder. The surge has barely begun, and already, it is failing.

It is clear, furthermore, that the Maliki government is powerless to live up to its promises. Maliki himself owes much of his political authority to one of Iraq's most powerful militia leaders. So how, exactly, is he going to keep Iraqi communities safe from the militias?

On their way out the door, General Abizaid and General Casey warned that increasing force levels just absolves Iraqis of the responsibility for their own security, and they were absolutely right.

In the State of the Union address, the President said, and I quote him, `` . . . it's time for [the Iraqi] government to act. They have promised to deploy more of their own troops to secure Baghdad . . . They pledged that they will confront violent radicals of any faction . . . and they need to follow through.''

If they don't, where is the ``or else'' in the President's words, and where are the consequences if they don't meet these benchmarks and honor these commitments?

Madam Speaker, it is time for fewer carrots and more sticks. Edward Luttwak of the Center for Strategic and International Studies put it succinctly. He said, ``it's time for the Iraqis to make their own history.'' Or, in the words of Luttwak's New York Times op-ed piece yesterday, he said, ``To Help Iraq, Let It Fend for Itself. ``

There is only one solution, a quick military withdrawal from Iraq. I have a bill that was sponsored by 33 other Members of Congress that will do precisely that. H.R. 508, the Bring Our Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act will do exactly what we need. It will take our troops out of harm's way and force Iraqis to secure their own country. We won't leave them high and dry. The bill calls for an international stabilization force, but one that would come only at the request of the Iraqi government for no more than 2 years, and with other nations taking on the burden as well.

H.R. 508 will have our troops home in 6 months, leaving behind no permanent military bases and turning over control of the Iraqi oil to the Iraqi people. We will not abandon Iraq. We will continue to be a partner in the reconciliation and reconstruction, but it is time for us to end the military occupation that has failed so tragically. There are no good answers here, but one thing is for sure: There is nothing more our soldiers can do to bring peace to the streets of Baghdad or any other part of Iraq. If anything, our continued presence is aggravating an already combustible situation, which, in fact, we created. We created this situation with our invasion in the first place. Madam Speaker, it is time for Iraqis to defend Iraq, and it is time for American troops to come home.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Israel ``Izzie'' Barlas who passed away on January 23, 2007. Izzie led a long and full life, married for 59 years to Helene, raising his son Lance, and cherishing his two grandsons.

The youngest of six children born to Russian immigrants Max and Esther Barlas, Izzie was raised in Petaluma, California and attended Santa Rosa Junior College. He was a world traveler, but always came home to Petaluma the ``best place to live, work and raise a family''.

Izzie and his two brothers co-owned Barlas Feeds, founded by their father. The feed and livestock store began by supplying to local farmers, but the business grew to include shipments as far away as the South Pacific. Those business interests developed from Izzie's tour of duty as a U.S. Marine stationed in the South Pacific during World War

Madam Speaker, the devastating blast in the Baghdad market over the weekend was the worst suicide bombing since the American occupation began nearly 4 years ago, 121 killed and 226 wounded. The Iraqi Interior Ministry says approximately 1,000 people have been killed over the last week alone.

This so-called ``surge'' that the President is force feeding us is getting off to quite a start, isn't it? Indeed, The New York Times reported on Sunday that Iraqis are saying that the security situation has gotten worse, not better, with the escalation of American troops.

The National Intelligence Estimate released last week offers little hope that sectarian violence will abate or that Iraq can repair its political rifts between Sunni and Shi'a. Under these circumstances, with American soldiers thrown into this unwinnable occupation with no hope of turning the situation around, there is only one solution, bring our troops home.

I have introduced a bill, H.R. 508, with Congresswoman Lee and Congresswoman Waters and 30 others, which will do just that. H.R. 508 will end the occupation within 6 months of enactment. H.R. 508 will prohibit the construction of permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq. It will restore the sovereignty of the Iraqi people, even as we continue to provide nonmilitary assistance and to support a short-term international stabilization force will be available, if requested by the Iraqi government.

What a difference from the White House approach. Staring at the colossal, tragic failure of his Iraq policy, what did the President do today? He submitted a budget that asked Congress to sign off on $145 billion to continue waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, he wants us to make his tax cuts permanent, and he says the budget will be balanced by 2012. So where is the money going to come from? Why, of course, it is going to come from the most vulnerable members of society, that is where.

Actually, over time, the very troops and their families, who are sacrificing life and limb in Iraq today, will be paying for this debt.

The President's budget seeks deep Medicare and Medicaid cuts at just the moment when we need to be expanding access to affordable health care. Actually, it is simple, Madam Speaker. The money is there for the folly of occupying Iraq. The money is there for wealthy people to get tax breaks; but when old and when poor people need nursing home care, or kids need immunizations, suddenly it is time to tighten the belt.

It is a disgrace, Madam Speaker, this ongoing occupation of Iraq. It is not only morally indefensible; it is fiscally irresponsible. So many of our own communities need investment. So many of our own poor and middle-class families are taking on more and more risk, struggling to get by, getting squeezed economically. But we are spending our grandchildren's money on a fantasy that is getting young soldiers killed, igniting a civil war, inciting jihadists, inspiring hatred of the United States around the world, harming national security and making Americans less safe.

There is a solution: One, end the occupation; two, return Iraq to the Iraqis; three, spend our foreign affairs budget on humanitarian endeavors, not on war and conquest. Spend it on economic development, on democracy promotion, on building schools and hospitals.

In addition, bring our troops home. Bring our soldiers home. Bring our tax dollars home where they can be put to work meeting the needs of Americans, strengthening American communities.

Madam Speaker, let me say you look wonderful up there in that chair.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to talk about the forgotten victims of this war: the children and the legacy we leave them.

Today, I placed a pair of baby-sized shoes on my front office door. They were presented to me by the pro-peace organization Code Pink. These tiny shoes symbolize the passing of one of the tens of thousands of Iraqis who have been killed over the past 4 years. Her name is Aisha al Tarish, and she was 2 years old.

But these shoes also symbolize the children here in the United States who will grow up without a parent because he or she died while fighting so bravely in our Armed Forces.

What too many are ignoring in this debate is the toll that this occupation of Iraq is taking on children here at home, in Iraq, and around the world. In fact, my 7-year-old grandson recently asked his dad, he said, Daddy, what do the children in Iraq do when bombs are going off?

How do you answer that? My son said, I think you ought to talk that over with your grandma, Teddy.

Why are we ignoring the legacy of fear of death and of insecurity? So many children are growing up in a world that has been at war since they were born. They can't feel secure. In fact, just going to school for an Iraqi child every day is a risk. And that is the risk that Teddy pointed out to us.

I know, as a grandmother, this is not the world I envisioned for my grandchildren and for their children to come. It seems like President Bush is pushing forth in Iraq absolutely despite opposition from every corner because he wants to protect his standing in the world.

What legacy are we leaving for the world's children? Our presence in the region is leaving a legacy of occupation and hate.

An administration that refuses to negotiate and refuses diplomacy gives rise to a legacy of war and the very terrorism we want to defeat, and one of the saddest legacies of all, a generation of veterans and their families without medical care, without mental health care, without jobs and businesses to return to, without homes.

This is not the legacy this country was built upon. It is not the legacy I intend to leave for our children.

The only answer to this is stop this misguided occupation. If we really want to offer a future of hope to the children of America and the children of Iraq, we must bring our troops home now. We must help the Iraqis. We must help them establish a working infrastructure, and we must help them establish a security force. We must fully fund our commitment to our veterans.

This month I introduced H.R. 508, the Bring the Troops Home from Iraq and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act. This is a real and comprehensive plan to accomplish these goals, to provide a safe and secure future for the youngest victims of this war.

I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill, to send the message that we will stand up for the troops, we will stand up for those victims and those voices who have been ignored for too long: the children.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend there was an extraordinary event right outside these windows. I come to the floor this evening to celebrate the hundreds of thousands of people who gathered on the Mall this Saturday because they have had enough of this immoral occupation in Iraq.

Groups like Code Pink, United for Peace and Justice, Win Without War, and Peace Action did an exceptional job of organizing the march and rallying their members. We were fortunate to have many celebrity activists in attendance, as well as several Members of the Congress.

But what made the event successful was the energy and the passion in the crowd. It was a testament to the power of the grassroots.

Hundreds of thousands, from the stage as far as the eye could see, packed on the mall, standing together to send a powerful message that Americans want to bring our troops home from Iraq.

Hundreds of thousands standing together to say that 4 years of bloodshed is enough, that over 3,050 lost American lives is over 3,050 too many for a war we never should have started in the first place.

Hundreds of thousands standing together to register the disgust with the President's Iraq policy, the staggering civilian casualties, the billions upon billions of dollars wasted, human rights abused, our global credibility shattered, terrorists emboldened rather than defeated.

Every objective measure we could possibly use leads to the conclusion that what we are doing in Iraq has been a tragic failure.

And everyone can see that, Mr. Speaker, except the President, the President of the United States, who is asking us to sacrifice more of our tax dollars and more lives and limbs so he can win in Iraq.

You know what they say: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Fortunately, we have an antidote to this insanity. It is not another Iraq study group. It is not another bipartisan committee to debate and deliberate while more people die. It is not a nonbinding resolution.

It is comprehensive legislation that would have all of our troops home safely, out of Iraq, and contractors out of Iraq within 6 months.

It is H.R. 508, the Bring Our Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act, which I introduced with my colleagues, Congresswomen Barbara Lee and Maxine Waters, earlier this month.

But the real authors of this bill, Mr. Speaker, were the hundreds of thousands of people marching on the Mall this Saturday and the millions more Americans who they represent. By offering H.R. 508, we are giving voice to their will.

Many of the marchers came back to Congress today to share their views in person. They want their elected representatives to know how strongly they oppose the continuing occupation and how strongly they support H.R. 508, which would fully fund a safe military withdrawal.

The President has challenged us to issue a plan. We have, and people gathered on the Mall this weekend showed their support. Enough is enough.

In the name of national security, fiscal sanity and common decency, I ask my colleagues, sign on to H.R. 508 and bring our troops home.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, November 7, the American public sent a powerful, unmistakable message to their elected leaders in Washington.

They want change. They are fed up with the corruption and sick of the infighting. But most importantly, voters, with a strong and decisive voice, demanded a change in our government's Iraq policy.

Last Wednesday, when the President addressed the Nation, and again last night when he came to this Chamber and called for an increase in troops, without mentioning an exit plan or a plan to care for our returning veterans, he proved yet again that he isn't going to listen to the voters. He doesn't care about what the polls say about the ordinary person and not liking what he is doing in Iraq. He won't listen to his commanders. And, in fact, those who disagree with him are either fired or transferred. And his own Republican Party that is coming out against this occupation in Iraq are being ignored.

In giving Democrats a majority, Mr. Speaker, Americans did not give my party a mandate simply to work with the President, or to wait for cues from any blue ribbon committee. No, the people told us to correct the President, challenge the President, and to confront the President on the moral challenge of our times.

The message is clear. The American public has directed the Congress to be

bold, to change course in Iraq and having our main goal be that of bringing our troops home.

Yet there remains a debate within this Congress on what it means to oppose the war. There are some who claim to oppose it, even while arguing that we cannot bring our troops home right away, that to do so would be catastrophic. But how could it get more catastrophic than fueling a devastating, homegrown insurgency in Iraq? The catastrophe is continuing to foment a civil war, a war that is tearing a proud nation apart at the seams.

This current policy is the catastrophe. Staying the course at this point will only plunge Iraq further into the abyss, costing thousands more American and Iraqi lives.

There are others who claim that while they oppose the war, they support the troops, and, they say, supporting a withdrawal would dishonor them. But is it honoring these brave men and women, some of the best America has to offer, to leave them in a dangerous, unwinnable situation? No. Honoring them means bringing them home to their families and strengthening a Veterans Administration health care system that has been all but laid to waste by the Bush administration in recent years.

Every day that we remain in Iraq is a day that we shortchange our priorities right here at home. This occupation has already cost over $300 billion, approximately $11 million every hour of every day, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The total cost is now projected to surpass the cost of the entire Vietnam war.

This is an astronomical, irresponsible sum, a sum that would be better used here at home to improve our schools, provide quality health care, put Americans back to work and help Iraq rebuild its economy and its infrastructure.

In January of 2005, I came down here to the floor of the United States House of Representatives and, as the first Member of Congress, demanded that the President put together a plan to bring our troops home. Since then I have followed up with public forums, resolutions, forced votes and these nightly speeches, which tonight makes 181, all designed to build support for a movement to end the occupation.

Many times along the way, and going as far back as 2002, when we first debated the Iraq invasion, the right wing and their media mouthpieces greeted me and other antiwar leaders with the usual smears and jeers. But who will history judge as calling this one correctly?

Everyone but the blindest Bush-Cheney loyalist recognizes that Iraq has been an unmitigated disaster, a strategic blunder and moral failing of historic proportions.

Today, because of the pressure applied by the anti-war camp, I stand with the majority of the American public and with a growing number of elected leaders from both parties in opposing this occupation.

We were right in 2002, and we are still right--withdrawing our troops is the only humane, sensible option we have left.

Congress has the power to end this occupation. We must stand up to our responsibility and bring every pressure to bear on this administration. We must use every lever and pursue any avenue to hold them accountable for their immeasurable failures in Iraq.

This is not just another priority for the new Congress. According to the voters who have elected us, this is the 110th Congress' most solemn duty.

That is why last week, along with 25 of my colleagues, I introduced the ``Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act.'' This is the only comprehensive bill that will provide for a safe return of our troops, strengthen Iraqi institutions and provide for our veterans.

I urge my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 508 today and to send a clear message to our President that--in absence of a real plan from him-- Congress is ready to bring our troops home.