[Pacg] Iowa Senate passes Resolution opposing Iraq expansion / Braley speaks on House Floor opposing escalation

[Carolina 1961]

*The Iowa Senate passed the following on Thursday, Feb 15 on a voice vote;
only the 3rd such state to do so.*
**
*Senate Resolution 15 *

  1  1    SENATE RESOLUTION NO. *   *
  1  2    BY  KIBBIE, APPEL, BEALL, BLACK, BOLKCOM, CONNOLLY,
  1  3    COURTNEY, DANIELSON, DEARDEN, DOTZLER, DVORSKY,
  1  4    FRAISE, GRONSTAL, HANCOCK, HATCH, HECKROTH, HORN,
  1  5    KREIMAN, McCOY, OLIVE, QUIRMBACH, RAGAN, RIELLY,
  1  6    SCHMITZ, SCHOENJAHN, SENG, STEWART, and WOOD
  1  7    *A Resolution opposing the commitment of additional American
*  1  8 *   troops to the war in Iraq.
*  1  9    WHEREAS, the United States strategy and presence on
  1 10   the ground in Iraq can only be sustained with the
  1 11   support of the American people and bipartisan support
  1 12   from Congress; and
  1 13   WHEREAS, over 137,000 American military personnel
  1 14   are currently serving in Iraq, like thousands of
  1 15   others since March 2003, with the bravery and
  1 16   professionalism consistent with the finest traditions
  1 17   of the United States armed forces, and are deserving
  1 18   of the support of all Americans, which strong support
  1 19   they have; and
  1 20   WHEREAS, more than 2,000 United States military
  1 21   personnel have already lost their lives in Iraq, and
  1 22   more than 22,500 have been wounded in Iraq; and
  1 23   WHEREAS, the deployments of American forces, and
  1 24   those that will follow, will have lasting impacts on
  1 25   the future recruiting, retention, and readiness of our
  1 26   nation's all volunteer force; and
  1 27   WHEREAS, in the National Defense Authorization Act
  1 28   for Fiscal Year 2006, the Congress stated that
  1 29   "calendar year 2006 should be a period of significant
  1 30   transition to full sovereignty, with Iraqi security
  2  1   forces taking the lead for the security of a free and
  2  2   sovereign Iraq"; and
  2  3   WHEREAS, a failed state in Iraq would present a
  2  4   threat to regional and world peace, and the long=term
  2  5   security interests of the United States are best
  2  6   served by an Iraq that can sustain, govern, and defend
  2  7   itself, and serve as an ally in the war against
  2  8   extremists; and
  2  9   WHEREAS, Iraq is experiencing a deteriorating and
  2 10   ever=widening problem of sectarian and intra=sectarian
  2 11   violence based upon political distrust and cultural
  2 12   differences between some Sunni and Shia Muslims; and
  2 13   WHEREAS, Iraqis must reach political settlements in
  2 14   order to achieve reconciliation, and the failure of
  2 15   the Iraqis to reach such settlements to support a
  2 16   truly unified government greatly contributes to the
  2 17  increasing violence in Iraq; and
  2 18  WHEREAS, the responsibility for Iraq's internal
  2 19  security and halting sectarian violence must rest
  2 20  primarily with the Government of Iraq and Iraqi
  2 21  Security Forces; and
  2 22  WHEREAS, on January 10, 2007, President George W.
  2 23  Bush announced his plan to deepen the United States
  2 24  military involvement in Iraq by deploying
  2 25  approximately 21,000 additional United States combat
  2 26  forces to Iraq; and
  2 27   WHEREAS, an open=ended commitment of United States
  2 28 forces in Iraq is unsustainable and a deterrent to the
  2 29 Iraqis making the political compromises and providing
  2 30 the personnel and resources that are needed for
  3  1 violence to end and for stability and security to be
  3  2 achieved in Iraq; and
  3  3    WHEREAS, there have been repeated promises by the
  3  4 Government of Iraq to assume a greater share of
  3  5 security responsibilities, disband militias, consider
  3  6 amendments to the Iraq Constitution, enact laws to
  3  7 reconcile sectarian differences, and improve the
  3  8 quality of life for the Iraqi people, but those
  3  9 promises have not been kept; and
  3 10    WHEREAS, a successful strategy in Iraq is dependent
  3 11 upon the Iraqi leaders fulfilling their promises; and
  3 12    WHEREAS, current and former military and foreign
  3 13 policy leaders and members of Congress in a bipartisan
  3 14 manner have expressed opposition to increasing
  3 15 American military presence in Iraq; NOW THEREFORE,
  3 16    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Iowa Senate
  3 17 urges that members of the United States Congress and
  3 18 the administration not escalate the United States
  3 19 military force presence in Iraq and instead encourage
  3 20 Iraqi leaders to foster reconciliation and strengthen
  3 21 the unity government to improve that nation's
  3 22 security; and
  3 23    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of
  3 24 this Resolution shall be sent to George W. Bush,
  3 25 President of the United States, to Iowa's
  3 26 congressional delegation, and to the members of the
  3 27 United States Congress.
  3 28 LSB 2559XS 82

Please contact your Senators to thank them:
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/FindLeg/


**  *  *  *  *  *
*

*Braley Speaks in Opposition to *

*President Bush's Iraq Escalation Plan*

*Calls for Oversight and Iraq Study Group-Supported Redeployment*

* Washington** , DC - *Today, Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo) made the
following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives in support
of the Iraq War resolution condemning the President's plan to escalate the
war in Iraq:

 "I grew up surrounded by heroes.  My father, Byard Braley, enlisted in the
Marine Corps when he was 17, and landed on Iwo Jima the same day that the
flag was raised on Mount Suribachi.  Thirty thousand Marines and Japanese
soldiers died in one month on an island the size of my hometown of Brooklyn,
Iowa.  My father saw one of his best friends vaporized by a shell burst, but
we never learned that until fifteen years after he died.

 "The night after my father landed on Iwo Jima, another Marine from my home
town slept under that flag as Japanese bombs flew overhead.  Harold Keller
was the real deal.  He was the second Marine to reach the summit of Mount
Suribachi, and he single-handedly fought off the first counterattack on the
flag raisers immortalized in Flags of Our Fathers.  When he came home, he
repaired milking equipment for area farmers.

 "My uncle Gordon Braley served in the Merchant Marine, protecting the
Allied shipping lanes in the North Atlantic.  My uncle Bert Braley served in
the Army Air Corps, and my uncle Lyle Nesselroad served in the Navy.  My
cousin Dick Braley was a Marine Corps artillery officer at a fire base in
Vietnam.

 "These ordinary men taught me that patriotism is not something you claim by
putting down others who disagree with your viewpoints ... it's something you
earn by the way you live your life, and the respect you have for the
institutions that make the United States a great beacon of liberty, freedom
and justice.

 "When I return to my home in Waterloo, Iowa, I am still surrounded by
heroes.

These heroes belong to the Ironman Battalion of the Iowa National Guard.
They are approximately 560 fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters from
Waterloo, Dubuque, Oelwein, and everywhere in between.

 "One of them, Ray Zirkelbach, is missing his second consecutive year in the
Iowa House of Representatives because their latest tour was recently
extended.  A flag is draped over his desk in the House Chamber.

These heroes are the reason why I stand here today in opposition to the
President's plan to escalate the war in Iraq.

 "On November 7, 2006, the voters of this country went to the polls and
clearly stated that it was time for a new direction in Iraq.

 "Soon after, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group presented President Bush with
a desperately needed blueprint for change.  They recognized that the
deteriorating crisis in Iraq couldn't be solved by military action; instead,
it required a political solution between warring factions for a stable
democracy to evolve.

 "The Iraq Study Group recognized that "stay the course" was a failed
strategy, and that three prior troop surges had done little to quell the
growing violence.  They knew that the Iraqis would never get serious about
standing up for their own country until they were confronted with a
timetable for redeploying our forces.

 "After I was sworn in as a member of Congress on January 4th, I hoped that
President Bush would listen to the advice of this bipartisan group whose
recommendations he "welcomed."  I hoped that the President would move to
fulfill the promise of the Defense Authorization Act for 2006, when this
Congres stated that:

'2006 would be a period of significant transition in Iraq, with the Iraqi
security forces taking the lead" for their own security, so we could begin a
phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq.'

"Instead, the President ignored the recommendations of the bipartisan Study
Group and chose to *escalate* the war in Iraq without charting a new course.


"To my friends on the other side of the aisle who disagree with the
resolution we're debating today, by all means, vote your conscience.  I will
be voting my conscience and joining well-known Republicans who agree that
the escalation is a mistake.

"People like Senator Chuck Hagel of my neighboring state of Nebraska, who
called the President's escalation plan, "the most dangerous foreign policy
blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out."

"People like former Iowa Representative Jim Leach who said that the
President's policy in Iraq may go down as "the greatest foreign policy
blunder in U.S. History."

"Well-respected military experts also oppose this escalation, including
Generals Colin Powell, George Casey, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"The President truly stands alone with a strategy that his own generals, key
Republicans, and the American people oppose.

"The time is long overdue for the People's House to reassert its rightful
place in our Constitutional system of checks and balances.  We have a duty
to send a message that it's time for a real change in Iraq: change
characterized by *accountability* and *redeployment* of our troops.

"There will be no more blank check; there will be *tough questions* and *
oversight*, and I will work hard on the Oversight and Government Reform
Committee to ensure that these tough questions are asked.

"That's why I'm proud to cosponsor House Resolution 787, the Iraq War
De-Escalation Act, which urges the President follow the timetable for
redeployment established by the bipartisan Study Group.

"My first job in Congress is to represent the constituents who sent me here.

"It's my duty to stand up for the everyday heroes from Iowa who served this
country in past conflicts.  It's also my duty to stand up for today's heroes
who serve our country so bravely in the National Guard and the military.

"And it's my job to speak out for my constituents, who sent me here to stand
up for a new direction in Iraq.

"This resolution is an important first step toward changing our course
there.

"I agree with the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group: it's
time for a new Iraq strategy that keeps our brave men and women safe and
begins to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis so our troops can start to come home.

"That's why I support this resolution and oppose President Bush's plan to
escalate the war."

Please call Congressman Braley for his stance on the war:
(202) 225-2911
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