Face the Facts About Iraq
Kucinich gave the following speech in Congress on July 20, 2005:
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) offered an amendment to H.R. 2601, Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007. The Ros-Lehtinen amendment would "enhance the security of the U.S. by making it the policy of the U.S. to pursue a transfer of responsibility for Iraqi forces only when they are ready to assume such responsibility and not to withdraw prematurely the U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq. Requires any withdrawal to be done only with careful coordination with a decision by the elected government of Iraq which shall be reached jointly when it is clear that the aim of the establishment of a free and stable Iraq that is at peace and not a threat to its neighbors has been or is about to be achieved."
Speaking in vehement opposition to the Ros-Lehtinen amendment, Congressman Kucinich said:
"Mr. Chairman, at a time when we should have an exit strategy for our troops, this amendment provides Members of Congress with an exit strategy for themselves, from responsibility for Iraq.
"This amendment states that we should withdraw our troops from Iraq only when the Iraqi forces are able to combat the insurgency and only when the government of Iraq is stable, at peace, and is not a threat to its neighbors.
"We all know that we are light years away from both of these requirements. This amendment will keep us in Iraq forever.
"Furthermore, this amendment is essentially flawed because it fails to address the correlation between the U.S. presence in Iraq and utter chaos and civil war-like state that country is in. The U.S. presence in Iraq is fueling the insurgency and has turned Iraq into a training ground for the insurgents. The insurgency is growing stronger by the day, and attack tactics are becoming more advanced. An article published in New York Times on June 22 described how Iraqi rebels are refining bomb skills and pushing the GI toll even higher. Improvised explosive devices are now sufficiently sophisticated enough to destroy armored Humvees. This means our soldiers are more vulnerable and casualty rates will go higher than ever.
"In May there were 700 attacks against American forces using improvised explosive devices, the highest number since the invasion in 2003. Furthermore, not only is the insurgency in Iraq becoming stronger, but according to a CIA assessment, the insurgency will also spread to other countries in the region.
"Another article in the New York Times has described a new classified CIA assessment that the Iraqi war is likely to produce a dangerous legacy by dispersing to other countries this conflict. According to the assessment, Iraq may even prove to be an even more effective training ground for Islamic extremists than Afghanistan was in al Qaeda’s early days.
"Mr. Chairman, it is time for us to face the facts about Iraq. It has been a disaster. We are there for all the wrong reasons. We are there based on lies. It is time for us to get out. This legislation will keep us there. Vote against it."
[Ed. note: The Ros-Lehtinen amendment was agreed to by recorded vote: 291 - 137 (Roll No. 397).]
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