[Pacg] Congressman Braley's Davenport Office "Open House"

[Carolina 1961]

Friends,

Take advantage of this opportunity to thank Congressman Braley for his
stance on the war, his recent vote for the non-binding resolution against
escalation in Iraq (refer to his speech recently delivered on the House
floor - below) and to address any other concerns you may have. *
*

*
*

>From Pete DeKock:*
*

* DAVENPORT ** GRAND OPENING:***

*Friday February 23, 2007*

*12 noon-1:30pm*

*Rep. Bruce Braley's Davenport Office*

*209 W 4th St, Suite 104** (Entrance faces 4th St, you can't miss it!) *
Join Rep. Bruce Braley and his local staff at the grand opening of his
Davenport office.  All constituents are invited to attend.  Light
refreshments will be served and no RSVP is necessary.   Feel free to invite
a friend!


*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."
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