Floor Statements

I am proud to rise in recognition of an American patriot and good friend, Detective Rory Forrestal, for his many outstanding contributions to the Suffolk County Police Department on Long Island. On behalf of New York's First Congressional District, I thank Detective Forrestal for his extraordinary service and accomplishments over the past 20 years that have earned him several decorations, the respect and admiration of his fellow officers, and the gratitude of Suffolk County's residents.

A graduate of St Joseph's College, Detective Forrestal has proven his courage and commitment to Long Island's residents time and again. While fighting crime and keeping Long Islanders safe during his tours in the department's narcotics and general services divisions, he compiled an impeccable service record. Many of my constituents may recall when he was one of two Suffolk police officers who helped a woman deliver her baby at her home in Mastic Beach, only a few hours after the hospital misdiagnosed her labor pains and released her.

As a veteran and expert investigator, Detective Forrestal was selected by the department in 1999 to help launch the computer crimes unit when criminal use of the Internet by sexual predators along with other forms of cyber-fraud and exploitation expanded dramatically. Performing what some might consider a tough and unpleasant job, he has conducted this important job with tenacity, success, and steadfast resolve. His hard work and diligence have directly resulted in several arrests and protected countless children from cyber-predators. I was very grateful when he attended an Internet workshop that I hosted for parents last year.

Among several prestigious decorations, Detective Forrestal has been awarded the Suffolk County Police Department's Detective of the Year for 1998; the Suffolk County Detectives Association Hawkins Award for investigative excellence in 1998; the Parents for Megan Law Champion for Children Award in 2004; and the Department of Justice Prosecutors Award in 2005.

Today, Detective Forrestal is an instructor at the Suffolk County Police Academy and a guest lecturer at schools as well as parent and professional advocacy organizations. His knowledge and expertise, particularly in the area of computer crimes, are always appreciated and well received. His continuing dedication to protecting children from Internet predators is a tremendous comfort to parents in our community and will ensure that our sons and daughters are protected to the maximum extent that our Government can provide.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of New York's First Congressional District, I thank Detective Rory Forrestal for his outstanding service and wish him continued success in the years ahead. He is a shining example of what we look for in our police officers and other public servants, and I am proud to honor and represent him in this chamber.

Mr. Speaker, almost 3 months ago to the day, I stood in this exact spot and spoke on the extension to the Higher Education Act, as I have done for each of the past four extensions, each time hoping it would be the last short-term measure we needed to pass before we finally produce an improved, bipartisan, and long- overdue reauthorization bill that reflects the best interests of America's college students and the families who support them.

I now rise with a different hope, and an even stronger conviction. It is now my hope that the current flawed version of the Higher Education Act reauthorization passed by the House never takes on the force of law and that during the next session of Congress, under a new majority, we can again address the Higher Ed Act and truly make it about increasing access and affordability.

Recently, Secretary Spellings' Commission on the Future of Higher Education released its final report on the status of postsecondary education. That report highlighted the dire need for increased Federal aid in the form of Pell Grants. It is puzzling that the Commission would release its findings on increasing access and affordability after the House has addressed its version of the Higher Ed Act and at the end of this budget cycle when it is too late this year to help students afford a college education.

I can only hope that the Secretary is planning on briefing the Congress on the Commission's findings and that she would respect this body enough to push for legislative remedies, rather than implementing the Commission's recommendations through negotiated rulemaking. Certainly a comprehensive strategy for postsecondary education that will meet the needs of America's future deserves congressional consideration. Otherwise, it would be an abrogation of our oversight responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, I will vote for the extension that we are considering here today, but I do not support the direction and actions of this Congress as it relates to higher education. We must

do more to ensure that every qualified student has the chance to go to college. Our future depends on nothing less.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present in the Chamber on September 25th to cast my vote on rollcalls 471, 472, and 473.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcalls 471 and 472, and ``aye'' on rollcall 473.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize an exceptional constituent and community leader, Sister Kathryn Schlueter, CSJ, of Southampton, New York, who has dedicated herself to Catholic education on Long Island for nearly 40 years.

Sister Kathy, as she is affectionately known, joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1963. After graduation from Brentwood College with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1967, she began her teaching career at the Saint Patrick School located in Smithtown, Long Island. Sister Kathy subsequently received her Masters in Educational Administration from Hofstra University in 1977 while continuing her teaching career at the Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, Long Island.

In 1987, Sister Kathy arrived on the east end of Long Island as Principal of Our Lady of the Hamptons Regional Catholic School in Southampton where she has worked faithfully to improve the quality of that institution for the past 20 years.

Under Sister Kathy's diligent stewardship, Our Lady of the Hamptons Regional Catholic School has been designated as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education and has received further accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. As Our Lady of the Hamptons prepares to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary as a Regional Catholic School, Sister Kathy should be recognized as the driving force behind its success.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of New York's First Congressional District, I express our sincere appreciation to Sister Kathy for her extraordinary commitment to excellence in education. We wish her continued success and happiness in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to rise in honor of a proud and long-serving institution of my district--on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Southampton Fire Department's creation last Saturday, September 9th. I was honored to participate in this celebration, which included a parade of fire trucks and culminated with the anniversary gala at the Hampton Road Firehouse.

I am privileged to represent the Village of Southampton, New York. A common thread runs through the town's rich history--an all volunteer force that has served and responded bravely since the first firefighters in Southampton consisted of bucket brigades whose fire alarms were sounded by the village blacksmith banging on his rim.

The first company that constitutes today's fire department was the Agawam Engine Company. Founded in 1881, it was widely known for the 415-pound bell used to alert the firefighters and the handpumping hose cart they used to extinguished fires. Like many Long Island families who can proudly claim that generations served as the department, one of my ancestors, James H. Bishop, was a founding member of Agawam Company, and my great grandfather, Benjamin Bishop, later served as its chief between 1893 and 1897.

Since that time, more dangerous fires started by complex fuels and as a result of eastern Long Island's booming population have intensified the demands on the 143 current members of the Agawam Engine, Agawam Hose, Southampton Hook and Ladder, Southampton Fire Patrol, and Southampton Hose Companies. Still, they remain an all-volunteer and highly skilled force whose frequent feats of heroism and selfless dedication remind us of the firefighters who gave their lives at the World Trade Center as we observed the solemn occasion of the fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in thanking those firefighters who continue to protect our families and communities, and extend our deepest gratitude to volunteers, like those intrepid men and women of the Southampton Fire Department, who risk their lives each day to keep us safe.

Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking the gentleman from Alabama for organizing this series of 5-minute statements and for his leadership on this issue.

Two weeks short of the end of the fiscal year of 2006 and with no budget in

place for fiscal 2007, I commend my distinguished Democratic colleagues on the Budget Committee for taking this time to call America's attention to the fiscal challenges resulting from the Republicans' misguided policies and the wrong choices they have made for our economy. Misplaced spending priorities and bad decisions have consequences. They are leading us further down the path to fiscal ruin and expanding the wedge between middle-class families and the superwealthy.

I am proud to join my colleagues to highlight the hypocrisy of the overriding Republican economic philosophy that extending dividends, capital gains and other tax cuts for millionaires and corporations create a rising tide that lifts all boats.

Five years after the President's $1.5 trillion tax cut, our national debt now approaches $10 trillion. If our tax cuts performed as promised by those across the aisle, an exploding economy would have wiped out this debt.

We have already proven that more needs to be done than just hope that sooner or later tax cuts will reach Americans who need help the most. But those who do need help must get in line and hope that the benefits of tax cuts for millionaires and corporations will ultimately trickle down to them.

Perhaps the expanding gulf between the haves and the almost-haves is best illustrated by the fact that wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of gross domestic product since the government began keeping records on that in 1947, while corporate profits continue to break all-time records. Meanwhile, the buying power of the minimum wage has sunk to its lowest level in 50 years.

What is missing are policies that ensure that the benefits of higher corporate earnings, productivity and globalization are widely shared, such as real government support for higher education, a progressive Tax Code and affordable health care.

When choices are made at the expense of our safety net, choices that benefit the top 1 percent who will never struggle to pay a mortgage, never struggle to keep up with gas prices, never struggle to put their children through school, it is clear that a new direction for our economy is long overdue.

How can the Republicans argue that this economy is bound in the right direction when our Nation is saddled with record-breaking deficits over 4 consecutive years, combined with deep and painful cuts to hospitals, to schools, and to security? At least the Republicans' budget outlook since 2001 has been consistent. Americans could bank on the American budgets to slash funding for proven homeland security programs, veterans benefits, education and health care priorities, all the while cutting taxes for millionaires who need the break the least.

As real-life indicators of poor Federal spending choices, such as stagnant wages, soaring crime rates and rising health care premiums and drug prices begin to take their toll on Americans, it is our responsibility to react. Instead, inaction reigns under the direction of the current leadership.

In some cases, this inaction has yielded to half-hearted solutions, such as an energy bill that does more for oil and gas companies than lower gas prices, a Medicare bill that does more for drug companies and HMOs than make life-saving drugs affordable, a pension bill that takes it easy on corporate boards while ignoring the decline of traditional defined benefit plans.

Eleven days away from the start of the fiscal year, the record of this Republican Congress on the economy shows that we have not completed a budget or a single appropriations bill.

Fiscal irresponsibility has reached unprecedented new lows, depending on how you look at it. The debt limit has been raised for the fifth time in as many years to almost $10 trillion.

Perhaps we shouldn't be worried. After all, the President's budget director said last month that $200 billion annual deficits are sustainable indefinitely. Apparently normal budget rules don't apply to this administration.

But they do apply to a middle-class family of four living on Long Island whose monthly cost-of-living expenses, due mostly to rising gas prices and health care costs, are rapidly exceeding wage increases. Perhaps their creditors and collection agents will understand that outstanding debts owed by families sinking deeper into red ink are sustainable indefinitely.

We can fix this mess. We have the blueprint; a new direction for America. And we only need to look to past and proven methods, like the pay-as-you-go budget rules that were enforced in the previous administration and produced surpluses that helped us start buying down our national debt.

Indeed, we Democrats resolve to restore what should be the goals of our Federal budget, to reflect the priority of our Nation, to build a strong economy, and to set policies that reflect the values and priorities of the mainstream of Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues who recognize that it is long past time to reverse course on this economy and support a new direction for America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a distinguished American and constituent, Mr. Alan Brockman, for a successful career and a lifetime of public service exemplified by unwavering dedication to the Fire Island community along the south shore of Long Island.

Throughout his legal career, Alan has been a respected attorney and partner of the New York City law firm, Blank Rome, located in the Chrysler Building. With equal diligence and commitment, he has served Long Island residents as president of the Fire Island Pines Property Owners Association for the past twenty-four years, following six years as treasurer.

Alan's impeccable reputation and strong ties with local, state and federally elected officials have contributed to a record of exemplary representation of the Pines and effective leadership on behalf of the interests of its residents. For over forty years, Alan has opened his home to residents and friends of the Pines. Today, he enjoys traveling the world but continues to call the Pines home, where he will always be affectionately known as ``the mayor,'' a title he has earned for dramatically improving the quality of life on Fire Island, where property values have nearly doubled as a result of his advocacy and hard work.

Alan's commitment to Long Island and the Fire Island Pines is also made evident by his numerous responsibilities, affiliations, friends, and titles, including sixteen years directing the Fire Island Association. His efforts have always been focused toward making the Pines a better place to call home, and that is exactly where Alan's loyalty and his heart remain.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to represent constituents and civic leaders like Alan who work tirelessly to make our communities more livable and enjoyable. I am proud to congratulate

Alan Brockman for a long and distinguished career, and on behalf of New York's First Congressional District and indeed all of Long Island, I wish him continued success in his future endeavors.

I thank my friend from Connecticut for yielding, and I also thank him for his ongoing leadership on this and so many other issues of importance here in our Congress.

Let me just pick up on a few comments that were made with respect to oversight and accountability. And I find it particularly ironic, when one studies the tragic history of our involvement in Iraq, and whether it begins with the misuse of prewar intelligence or whether it begins in effect with the reasons that we were given for going to war, none of which turned out to be accurate, all of which turned out really to be more about marketing a war than about a real threat that imperiled our safety and security, that we are now being told by these very same people that have led us so far astray, that have so weakened our Nation and so exposed us to a war on terror that we must fight much more vigilantly than we have thus far; we are now being told that these are the people that we must continue to keep in leadership positions in order to keep us free and safe. And, in fact, it is their very leadership, and I am speaking specifically about the Secretary of Defense and other civilian leaders in the Pentagon, that have led us so far astray.

When you chronicle the mistakes that were made in Iraq, we best-cased the result of our involvement in Iraq and we worst-cased the threat that was there. We invaded with too few troops. We have certainly sufficient troops to overthrow a regime that spent a fraction on defense relative to what we spend on defense, but we invaded with too few troops to secure the peace. We failed to secure the borders. We failed to secure ammo dumps. We failed to see to it that our troops were properly equipped and outfitted, and that was because the leadership of the Pentagon refused to accept the warnings that had been given by so many different experts in this area, that we weren't going to be welcomed with open arms, that we weren't going to be treated as conquering heroes and liberators, but in fact we were going to be viewed as occupiers and invaders.

But our troops arrived with insufficient body armor, with insufficiently armored vehicles because this insurgency was not recognized or anticipated. And yet we have these very same people telling us that they are the ones that are going to keep us safe.

I will just say one other thing, and then yield back. I think this is an administration that specializes in giving us false choices. We are now being presented with the latest false choice, and that is that those of us who do not support the ``stay the course'' in Iraq can be accused of wanting to abandon the war on terror.

Nothing could be further from the truth. There is not a soul on our side of the aisle that would advocate abandoning the war on terror. Everyone on our side of the aisle would advocate continuing to wage that war, but to wage it with the full resources of this Nation and to wage it much more intelligently than we have thus far.

The sad truth about our involvement in Iraq is that it has stripped us of the resources that we need to wage the war on terror. It is why Osama bin Laden remains at large 5 years after September 11, and it is why al Qaeda remains as powerful as it is.

My sense is that New Yorkers have not been fooled. My sense is that New Yorkers, and there is hardly a New Yorker who did not lose a loved one or did not lose a friend in the Twin Towers, most New Yorkers recognize that we are fighting two separate and distinct wars, despite, as you say, the administration's efforts to blur the distinction and to cojoin them in an effort to justify something that the vast majority of Americans now recognize was a tragic mistake.

When I go around my district, one of the questions I ask people is do they feel safer today, in August of 2006, than they did on September 12, 2001, and the answer overwhelmingly is no. The answer overwhelmingly is no.

I think most people recognize in my district, and I am grateful for this, that the war in Iraq, which was purportedly to make us safe, make us more safe, has in fact imperiled us beyond where we were the day we invaded.

I think that that is an important recognition and an important distinction for those of us who recognize the distinction needs to continue to be made.

It seems like we are being treated to a late summer/early fall offensive, I would say smoke screen on the part of this administration to convince the American people that we need to stay the course in order to be safe.

Basically what they are doing is they are engaged in defending the indefensible. The only way they can defend a war that the American people have clearly turned against is to present it in a context that makes it appear to be reasonable or defensible, but in fact quite the opposite is the case.

I think all of us as elected officials, we have no more solemn responsibility than to provide for the safety and security of those who have elected us to represent them. But I think a fair-minded person has to look at the record of where this administration has taken this Nation and where this Congress, complicit in the strategies and objectives of this administration, have taken this country.

Every single place you look, it reeks with failure. The 9/11 Commission presented to us 41 carefully crafted bipartisan recommendations. This Congress has only acted on 20 or 21 of them. The 9/11 Commission, again a bipartisan group, has given this administration and this Congress 14 Ds, 5 Fs and 2 incompletes on those recommendations.

Fourteen Ds, five Fs and two incompletes; and this is a leadership that is going to keep us safe and secure?

We are approaching the fifth anniversary, and we have outstanding work on the part of this commission, bipartisan work which is what we ought to be striving for. We ought to be approaching the safety and security of this Nation in a bipartisan way.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise in honor of an American hero and one of the bravest firemen that Long Island has ever known, Mr. Richard Gimbl, Chief of the Holbrook Fire Department.

It is a tremendous privilege for me to inform the House that Chief Gimbl was recently selected by the great State of New York as its 2006 ``Fireman of the Year.'' This award is the most recent of a long and highly prestigious list of decorations bestowed upon Chief Gimbl throughout a remarkably distinguished career exemplified by valor, sacrifice and selfless dedication to his fellow firemen and on behalf of a grateful community that he served and protected for 36 years.

Mr. Speaker, Chief Gimbl has answered the call time and again. He was dispatched to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to help with the relief and recovery from the violent hurricanes of the late 1980s. As part of a FEMA relief unit, he responded to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. And he was there at Ground Zero on September 11th when the World Trade Center and so many of our bravest firemen fell.

At a time in our Nation's history when the ever-present threat of terrorism and natural disasters continue to imperil our safety and security here at home, we need and are deeply grateful for heroes like Chief Gimbl, who set the bar for a higher standard of commitment and bravery consistently demonstrated by our first responders, and who comfort us each day by the blanket of security they provide at the expense of tremendous sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, as Chief Gimbl recovers from injuries sustained in the line of duty last year, we join with his family, fellow firefighters at the Holbrook FD, and the entire Long Island community in expressing our sincere best wishes for a full and speedy recovery and to assure each of them that he will remain in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with grave concerns about the situation in Iraq.

As I indicated during a Special Order organized last week by the gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Larson, I believe the war in Iraq is the centerpiece of the administration's failed foreign policies. The war in Iraq has proven to be a diversion from what should be our primary foreign policy focus, winning the global war on terror. Our preoccupation with Iraq is decimating our Armed Forces, who now find themselves entrenched in a civil war where they do not belong.

The administration's failure to measure progress in Iraq is matched by its broader foreign policy failures. North Korea and Iran present greater risks to our safety and security than they did when the President identified them as the ``axis of evil'' in his 2002 State of the Union address.

Today, the situation in Iraq is a tragedy, for America, for our brave troops in uniform, for the future of our Nation, and for the prospect of Middle East peace which fades every day we stay in Iraq and as the violence between Israel and Hezbollah continues.

Although 2006 was supposed to be a ``year of significant transition'' pursuant to last year's defense authorization law, we are no closer to finishing the year with any measure of positive transition than we were when the year started.

I call my colleagues' attention to a new book by Thomas Ricks, the Washington Post reporter who appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday, to discuss ``Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq.'' As Mr. Ricks explained, the administration's foresight and planning was as poor as its conduct of the post-war period. It is why, 3\1/2\ years later, we are is still paying the price for such negligence, and why 2006 is not on track to be the year of significant transition that not only had we hoped for, but that we simply must have.

Halfway through the year, these statistics show that we are moving backwards, away from our goal of handing Iraq over to a safe, secure and stable democracy. There were 3,149 civilians deaths in the month of June. That is up from 1,978 civilian deaths in January. For the year, more than 14,000 Iraqi civilians have died. That is an average of 2,400 a month. Another way of looking at that is every 5 weeks, Iraqi civilians die in the number that we lost on September 11.

The overwhelming majority of deaths have occurred in and around Baghdad. If the Iraqi police and army can't provide security, is it any wonder that the Iraqi people have turned to the militias? That is not a measure of progress in any year, but particularly in a year of transition, that would be a turn for the worse.

Every day focusing on combating sectarian violence is another day and another dollar we divert from what should be our priorities, increasing oil production, rebuilding infrastructure, promoting more dialogue between Sunnis and Shia and developing a long-term political solution for a stable, lasting democracy.

The Iraqi leadership isn't showing much progress either, particularly following remarks by Prime Minister al-Malaki and Speaker al- Mashhadani, who both openly condemned Israel in recent weeks.

Combined with the fact that nearly 50 percent of Iraqis support attacking our troops, Iraq is no closer to what the neo-conservatives envisioned as a partner for Israel who would catalyze change and bring about stability in the Middle East.

When the prime minister addresses a joint session of Congress tomorrow morning, I would hope he says the following: First and foremost, that Iraq is indebted to America for the sacrifice of 2,500 of its sons and daughters. Second, that he regrets and retracts his comments about Israel. Third, that he is committed to routing terrorists, sectarian violence and corruption and disarming the sectarian militias. Fourth, that his government will honor the rights of ethnic and minority constituencies by revisiting divisive sections of Iraq's constitution.

Still, Mr. Speaker, it will take much more to accomplish the long- term political goals necessary to restore stability, liberty and democracy, not only in Iraq, but to a region suffering under the strain of so much violence and uncertainty. But we have a long way to go. Reaching our objectives will be further down that path as a result of the administration's failure in the pre-invasion planning and the conduct of the post-war period.

The tragedy of Iraq is perhaps the most solemn and vivid reminder of why a change in leadership is long overdue, and why America deserves a new direction in its foreign policy.

Mr. Speaker, today is the 10th anniversary of the tragic crash of TWA Flight 800, which took the lives of 230 men and women off the coast of Long Island, near my congressional district. It is important that we keep alive the memory of those who perished over the Atlantic just moments after departing for home or on a school trip or to visit loved ones, and we must do all that we can to safeguard the flying public against future disasters.

Just as importantly, the brave families of those who lost their loved ones during the Flight 800 disaster deserve our recognition, as do the emergency personnel, volunteers and neighbors who selflessly worked for days on end in the recovery efforts.

Like other challenging times our Nation has faced, the reaction to the Flight 800 catastrophe brought out the best not only in my constituents, but in so many others in the surrounding towns, States and across the Nation who joined in mourning the loss of so many lives and helped a community recover from its most horrific tragedy.

Throughout and despite their grief, the families of the victims worked tirelessly to build a permanent memorial with the help of Navy Seabees and thousands of dedicated local and building trade union members. Today this solemn monument serves as a constant reminder of our tremendous loss one decade ago.

The memory of the passengers of Flight 800 lives on because of the continued work of people who will always remember what happened. I have visited the site of the Flight 800 Memorial many times. The recent completion of the monument offers some measure of closure to everyone who was affected by this terrible tragedy.

In the 10 years since Flight 800, hundreds of thousands have visited the park in an acknowledgment of a shared sorrow for those who died. The monument ensures that future generations can do the same.

As we recognize the 10th anniversary of the Flight 800 disaster, it is important that we take stock of our progress in preventing air disasters over the last decade.

We have made some great strides in aviation safety, particularly, for example, with design upgrades for planes and an ongoing effort to mitigate fuel tank flammability, the cause of the Flight 800 crash.

But what haven't we done? Regrettably, we have not addressed the underlying cause of the Flight 800 explosion. The FAA has delayed taking on this challenge for years, and we still do not have a final FAA directive that will protect every air traveler.

The cause of the Flight 800 catastrophe was determined years ago, and we know how to prevent similar disasters. We have the technology to protect against another tragedy like the one witnessed 10 years ago, but to date we still don't have the mandate for change.

Last year, I introduced H.R. 4174, the Transport Aircraft Fuel Tank Safety Act, which requires the FAA to retrofit all planes with new technology and to increase safety. In addition, I have recently petitioned the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to hold hearings on the safety of fuel tanks on airplanes and get to the bottom of why we don't upgrade all planes with the necessary technology.

I am hopeful that my colleagues here in the Congress will work with me to bring an end to this delay. With the completion of the Flight 800 monument, we have taken significant steps towards maintaining the memory of Flight 800, but we should also ensure that we don't have another Flight 800.

I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the surviving families and friends of the victims of Flight 800, and to commend them on the grace and dignity with which they handled unspeakable pain.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for yielding, and I thank him also for his leadership in organizing these very important discussions on the administration's failed policy with respect to Iraq, and for that matter the administration's failed policy with respect to the conduct of our foreign affairs in general.

It is a subject that we discuss all too infrequently in this Chamber. Let me just pick up on the point that Mr. Larson just made. It was 4\1/ 2\ years ago that the President came into this Chamber to deliver his State of the Union Address for 2002.

It was in that address that he first characterized North Korea and Iran and Iraq as the Axis of Evil. And I think it is without argument, without debate today, that all three of those states present this country, our country, with greater threats to our safety and security than they did when they were first characterized as the axis of evil, and that is because we have embarked on a failed strategy in Iraq that has bogged us down, that is apparently without end, without success, and yet prevents us, because of our preoccupation with Iraq and because of the troop strength that has been needed in Iraq and prevents us from dealing with the threat that is now posed and was posed at the time by North Korea and the threat that was posed and is now posed by Iran.

Let me also comment on something that Mr. Delahunt from Massachusetts said repeatedly, the war in Iraq has been characterized as the centerpiece of the war on terror. It is frankly not at all the centerpiece on the war on terror. It is a diversion from the war on terror. It is a diversion that does not serve either the country well or serve our allies well.

We have a foreign policy, it seems to me, that is rooted in ideology as opposed to pragmatism, and we are learning the limits of applying that ideology as we deal unsuccessfully with the situation in North Korea and the situation in Iran.

We see the Middle East in flames as we speak, and we recognize that we have a long history that nothing good happens in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories unless the United States is intimately involved in being an honest broker to bring about resolution of vexing and difficult issues.

Let me share just a couple of statistics that I think speak to just how far off track we are in Iraq. The number of insurgents in 2003 was 5,000. Today that number stands at 20,000. I am sure we all remember when the insurgency was described as a few dead-enders.

I am sure we all remember when the Secretary of Defense rather dismissively described what was happening in Iraq by saying that ``freedom is messy.''

We now have a situation where those dead-enders, so to speak, have metastasized into 20,000 insurgents. The average number of daily attacks has risen in just 1 year from 53 to 75. This does not sound like an insurgency that is in its final throes, and yet that is what we were told.

The number of civilian casualties resulting from sectarian violence has increased by 600 per month, now to a total of nearly 1,600 lost innocent lives per month. That is the equivalent of a 9/11 every 2 months in Iraq. Would any one of us stand for that if that were happening in this country? We certainly would not. Yet the carnage continues, and sectarian violence has increased dramatically over this period of time.

Financially, the burn rate has doubled from nearly $4 billion per month to $8 billion per month over the past 2 years, and I am sure we all remember how dismissively the administration handled the early estimates of the war. When Mr. Lindsey first said it would be $100- to $200 billion that was dismissed out of hand, and we were told that it would be no more than $50- or $60 billion for the war. We are now $300 billion and counting, as I say, with no end in sight.

We all wish that we could believe the administration's happy talk with respect to stability taking hold, with respect to progress being made. But we are now 3\1/2\ years into this tragic conflict, and we are no closer to the goal of an Iraqi state that does not pose threats to the safety and security of this Nation.

Madam Speaker, if the gentleman would yield, I would just like to expand on a point that the gentlewoman from California made. She talked about the report in today's New York Times that Sunni leadership is now asking American troops to stay to deal with the sectarian violence, and it points out the folly, if you will, of what purports to be our exit strategy.

I mean, the President has said repeatedly that as the Iraqi Army stands up, then we will stand down. We have now stood up a significant number of Iraqi soldiers and law enforcement officers, and yet here we have the Sunni leadership, which has been adamantly opposed to our presence in the country, adamantly opposed to our occupation of the country, now asking us to stay.

And so what does that suggest? It suggests that we do not have an exit strategy at all, or the one that has been put out there by the President is one that has absolutely no chance of yielding any kind of beneficial result in Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise on behalf of New York's first congressional district to mourn and honor a beloved constituent and treasure of the Long Island community, Mrs. Alice Hench Fiske, who recently passed away at the age of 88.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Alice grew up an energetic and ambitious child. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1939, at a time when very few women went to college. Alice was an exemplary student, blessed with intelligence and intellectual curiosity. In 1952, Alice married Mr. Andrew Fiske, the 13th-generation descendant of Nathaniel Sylvester, who had settled Shelter Island 3 centuries earlier.

Together, the 13th Lord of Sylvester and the Lady of the Manor, as Alice came to be known, raised two daughters. As an avid gardener and founder of the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archeological Research at the University of Massachusetts, Alice quite literally dug deep into her role by restoring Sylvester Manor's vast and beautiful gardens to their former glory and by making one of the most significant archeological discoveries in the eastern United States--half a million artifacts dating back to the eighteenth century.

Alice was universally beloved on Shelter Island, and indeed all across Long Island. Her kindness and generosity were infectious, and she could make one smile even on the worst day. According to her lifelong friend and historian, Mac Griswold, ``She'd take your hands in hers and then we'd raise them above our heads and take three deep breaths together . . . If she saw you were upset, she'd say, `Is it time for three deep breaths?' ''

Alice's tremendous goodwill and devotion to Shelter Island is why she is mourned now and her memory fondly cherished. She was always willing to lend a hand or contribute to a wide range of educational and environmental charities, such as Shelter Island's library, historical society, and of course, its garden club.

On behalf of a grateful community, Mr. Speaker, I thank Alice Fiske for her many enduring contributions to Long Island's East End, where she will always be celebrated and affectionately remembered as the Lady of the Manor.

Mr. Speaker, in these challenging times, it is refreshing to hear uplifting anecdotes of kindness and hope. I rise to recognize a tremendous source of these qualities on Long Island: the non-profit

organization known as Gift of Life, Inc., whose exemplary work benefits underprivileged children by helping uninsured and low-income families meet the cost of life-saving surgery.

Since Gift of Life was founded in 1975 by members of the Rotary Club of Manhasset, this truly remarkable organization has raised money for medical care and transportation of more than 3,000 children from across the United States and around the world whose families would not otherwise be able to afford such prohibitively expensive medical care. With 44 participating hospitals in the United States, I am proud to note that three are located on Long Island, including Stony Brook University Hospital, which has performed 450 of the heart surgeries.

Recently, Stony Brook partnered with the Suffolk County chapter of Rotary International and Gift of Life to help the family of Markus Dejong, a six-year-old boy from Farmingville who required an expensive operation to repair a defective valve in his heart. His father, an Iraq war veteran, was not insured or able to afford the cost of the operation and treatment. Fortunately, Gift of Life was there to help, and I am delighted to report that Markus' operation was successful. Following a recent visit to my office with his family, I am confident that he will grow up to be healthy and strong, with a normally functioning heart, thanks in large part to Gift of Life.

Mr. Speaker I strongly agree with Dr. Steven Whitman when he said, ``We never stand so tall as when we stoop to help a child.'' Indeed, we would be hard-pressed to find more selfless and devoted Americans who could stand as tall as the Rotarians, translators, host families, medical professionals, surgeons, sponsors and other volunteers who have given so much to this premier life-saving program. I am privileged to recognize Gift of Life and every individual associated with its truly outstanding and inspiring contributions to our community and in support of those children who need our help the most.

Mr. Speaker, eye-popping figures in the new GAO report just made the case for extending the Medicare part D enrollment deadline a great deal more compelling.

Exhibit A, insurance providers failed to answer phone calls accurately in response to 70 percent of the questions asked by seniors about their benefit.

Exhibit B, call centers underestimated out-of-pocket costs seniors have to pay by thousands of dollars.

Exhibit C, like the insurance providers, Medicare operators often answered questions incorrectly according to an earlier GAO report.

You would figure the extra $400 billion added to the initial price tag of the Medicare bill that the CMS actuaries didn't want to tell us about would at least buy seniors some peace of mind. Instead, part D continues to confuse and frustrate the seniors who, through no fault of their own, have a 3-in-10 chance of receiving the right information about their options.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to help extend the enrollment deadline, repeal the sign-up

penalty, and repeal the provision locking seniors into a plan for a year once they sign up, so that they won't have to pay for the consequences of a bad bill for the rest of their lives.