The Iraq War
Allow me to read a few headlines from the past week to give everyone a sense of how well the war is progressing:
The Washington Post, June 18, 2007, General Petraeus: "Iraq 'Challenges' to Last for Years."
New York Times, June 16, 2007, "In Iraq Secretary Gates Says Progress Toward Peace is Lagging."
New York Times, June 13, 2007, "Violence Rising in Much of Iraq, Pentagon Says."
MSNBC.com, March 17, 2006, "Cost of Iraq War could surpass $1 trillion. Of course, the estimates vary but all agree price is far higher than initially expected."
A Pentagon report released last week gave a grim outlook of the situation in Iraq. While the number of U.S. troops on the ground reached a record high as a result of the President's so-called troop surge, violence in Iraq has continued to increase. In fact, since the surge was announced, 500 American troops have been killed. According to the report, much of the violence that plagues Iraq is attributable to "sectarian friction and each faction is driven by its own political and economic power relationships."
Further, "Illegally armed groups are engaged in a cycle of sectarian and politically motivated violence, using tactics that include indiscriminate bombing, murder, executions and indirect fire to intimidate and provoke sectarian conflict."
Simply put, Iraq is a full-fledged civil war.
The number of suicide attacks in Iraq has increased from 26 in January to 58 in March and April. Remember IEDs, that is, improvised explosive devices? Now insurgents are increasingly using a more advanced type of IED called EFPs, or explosively formed projectiles, to kill our soldiers. These new bombs are being used in rapidly increasing numbers and are extremely effective at piercing the armor of our Humvees, tanks, and troop transports, causing mass casualties. As of today, there have been 3,526 U.S. deaths; there have been 26,000 Americans wounded, some very serious; 60,000 to 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died; and there are over 1,000 attacks per week, on average, and steadily growing.
We have spent over $435 billion of taxpayer money. The total cost to our economy could be upwards of $1 trillion to $2 trillion.
It is time to face the facts. Bombs and bullets have not and will not bring us peace in Iraq.
In January, I, along with my colleagues Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, introduced H.R. 508, the "Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007." This bill repeals the authorization of force in Iraq, requires a complete withdrawal of troops within 6 months, and puts Iraq on a path to sovereignty and peace. This bill seeks to end the cycle of violence that has plagued Iraq since we began this occupation.
There is bipartisan opposition to the war in Iraq, and a majority of Americans not only think President Bush is doing a poor job handling the situation in Iraq, but a majority also support setting a timetable for withdrawal. Our constituents sent us a strong message in November and continue to demand an end to this war.
Mr. Speaker, I hope that we in Congress have the courage to bring this war in Iraq to an end.
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