BAUCUS: BRING THE TROOPS HOME

Senior Senator Says Iraq War Must Not Escalate

January 10, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) – In a comprehensive speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Max Baucus made national news when he called on President Bush not to escalate the war in Iraq by sending more U.S. troops.

Baucus said the U.S. should start bringing combat troops home from Iraq within six months and called on the White House to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Baucus’ Iraq war speech, as prepared for delivery:

Statement of Senator Max Baucus

January 10, 2007

Mr. President, I am concerned about the deteriorating situation in Iraq. We need to change course. Let me urge my Colleagues to consider a few principles for where we should go from here.

Like my Colleagues, I have received an outpouring of letters, emails, and phone calls. Montanans are split on how America should proceed. But one thing is clear: They all want to see an end to it. They want to see our men and women come home.

In October 20, a man from Cutbank, Montana, wrote me to say:

“Yesterday was a very emotional day for me . . . . I currently have a son serving in Iraq who does house-to-house raids and goes out on extended missions. My other son, who just joined the Army, informed me that he, too, will now be leaving for Iraq. As Native Americans, my sons will be honored when they return home. I am very proud of them, but I am deeply concerned with what they face every day over there . . . .”

Amber, a military wife from Great Falls, Montana, wrote:

“I realize that my voice is a voice of millions that call for your assistance. However, I couldn't sleep at night knowing I didn't at least try to do what I think is right. My husband along with many others here in Montana is in Iraq right now and just recently lost a soldier from Billings. . . . Help us bring the troops home where they belong, with their families who miss them.”

In September, Tom, a Marine Corps veteran and purple heart recipient from Missoula, Montana, wrote me to say:

“I no longer support the war in Iraq. I believe that mismanagement of the occupation and reconstruction has made the war unwinnable and is distracting us from the war on terrorism.”

Mr. President, it is time for our combat troops to come home from Iraq.

Mr. President, America entered into this war with motivations that were honorable. But they were mistaken.

As the 911 Commission found, there was no connection between Iraq and the attacks on 911. There were no weapons of mass destruction. And the theory that America could through invading Iraq establish democracy that would spread through the region has proven a cruel joke.

If we knew then what we know now, I would not have voted for the war. If we knew then what we know now, I believe that results of that vote would have been different.

The administration was not up front with us. They presented faulty intelligence and inaccurate information about weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, the quality of Congress’s decision-making was no better than the quality of the information upon which we relied.

Going into Iraq was a mistake. The premise was wrong. After September 11, 2001, we had international support to go after Al- Qaeda and to find Osama Bin Laden.

That is the mission we should be behind. Our resources are incorrectly being exhausted in Iraq. I cannot go back and change that vote. But I can work on this new direction.

I commend our troops. They have shown exemplary strength. They removed the tyrant Saddam Hussein. They addressed the potential threat of weapons of mass destruction. They have done their job well. And their service has been outstanding.

No one can argue against their contribution to our national security. And their dedication to their missions goes unmatched.

I believe in giving our soldiers, sailors, and airmen the proper equipment and the tools that they need to stay safe and to succeed. A year ago, I spoke about our responsibility to get as much funding as possible to the troops. I have criticized spending on high tech weapons systems at the expense of boots on the ground. I voted in favor of every defense bill and war supplemental since the war began.

I heard of families hosting bake sales to buy body armor. I have tried to do everything that I could to protect our troops. It is no longer enough.

But now our brave troops now stand in the crossfire of a civil war. We have lost more than 3,000 troops in the escalating Iraq conflict. Just this week, the Iraqi health ministry reported that more than 17,000 Iraqis died in the second half of 2006. That was more than three times as many as died in the first half of 2006. And now America has spent more time fighting this war than we spent in World War II.

I understand and sympathize with Americans who continue to support this war because they do not want their family and friends to have died in vain. I know what they feel. I struggled with that last summer when my nephew Phillip died in Iraq.

On July 29th, Marine Corporal Phillip Baucus, my brother John’s son, was killed during combat operations in the Al Anbar province. He was just 28 years old.

Phillip was a bright and dedicated young man. He was like a son to me. He had a loving wife and a bright future. His death was devastating.

I know what it’s like to wait on the flight line at Dover Air Force Base. I know what it’s like to greet the body of a fallen soldier and family member. I know what it’s like to pray for a reason, and to become determined not to lose.

I’m not the only Montanan who has grieved. 14 Montanans have lost their lives in Iraq. We grieve for them all.

Those men and women who have lost their lives have served a noble purpose. They have taught us lessons in courage.

We honor that courage by speaking up. We honor that courage by admitting that what we are doing is not working. And we honor that courage by finding a new direction.

A change in strategy is not defeat. A change in strategy is a recognition that things are not working.

Moving forward, I urge the President and Congress to consider four principles:

(1) We must not escalate the conflict.

(2) We must train Iraqis to stand up for themselves.

(3) We must start bringing our troops home by the middle of the year.

(4) We must engage Iraq’s neighbors and the world community.

Let me explain in greater detail.

First, I do not support a surge in the number of American troops. Throwing more troops at the problem is not a solution. Escalating the war is not a solution. We must not launch a strategy with that has no benchmarks for success. How long and at what cost will we add troops to the conflict? It’s a mistake.

The Iraq Study Group was a prestigious and well-respected group. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was a member. The study group said that the current strategy in Iraq is not working. But to this date, the President has not implemented any of the group’s recommendations.

President Bush has stated numerous times that he listens to the commanders on the ground. Well, American commanders on the ground report that Al Qaeda is increasingly gaining political influence among the Sunnis. General Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee last November: “I believe that more American forces prevent Iraqis from doing more, from taking responsibility for their own future.” I urge the President to listen to what General Abizaid said, and not just replace the commanders who say things that he does not want to hear.

Second, we should not have an open-ended commitment in Iraq. America must make that clear to the Iraqi government. The war is now costing us $2 billion dollars a week. That is $2 billion a week that is not being devoted to health care, veteran benefits, or education.

There must be a more specific plan. The plan needs to outline how long our training efforts will continue. And the plan needs to show at what point the Iraqis will take over the security over their own country.

Last weekend, Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, reiterated the need and his commitment to getting the Iraqi security forces to stand on their own two feet. America should support these efforts. In short, U.S. forces should stand down, so the Iraqi forces can stand up.

Third, with a new focus on political solutions, the U.S. should start a phased redeployment of combat troops within 6 months, with the goal of having combat forces out of Iraq as soon as possible.

Our troops are stretched too thin to address emerging threats around the world. We must not focus solely on Iraq, with blinders to the rest of the world. Our troops are serving their third and fourth tours in Iraq. Some deployments have been extended from 12 to 18 months. Some troops no longer have a year to spend at home between deployments.

I have seen firsthand in Montana how the Guard and Reserves have deployed in record numbers. They have served honorably and with my great admiration. But we need them on U.S. soil for homeland defense missions.

And the active duty troops must not be overextended. They need to be ready to deploy when necessary around the world.

Finally, America must engage Iraq’s neighbors. The Iraq Study Group named a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict as a major potential contributor to stability in Iraq. The study group report states:

“The United States cannot achieve its goals in the Middle East unless it deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict and regional stability. There must be renewed and sustained commitment by the United States to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts.”

We have taken too many steps backward in that conflict. Our invasion of Iraq has simply stirred things up. America’s presence has opened the doors to terrorism and sectarian violence.

We must reengage and work toward peace and diplomatic solutions. We must seek increased participation of other nations both in a political way forward and in reconstruction work. We should redouble our efforts to reach out to the U.N. and to our allies who also have an intense interest in peace in the region and work together toward a responsible exit.

Mr. President, in March of 1919, the Emir of Iraq, Feisal ibn Husein, wrote to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. He wrote:

“We feel that the Arabs and Jews are cousins in race, having suffered similar oppressions at the hands of powers stronger than themselves, and by a happy coincidence have been able to take the first step toward the mutual attainment of their national ideals together. . . . Indeed, I think that neither can be a real success without the other. . . . I look forward . . . to a future in which we will help you and you will help us, so that the countries in which we are mutually interested may once again take their places in the community of civilized peoples of the world.”

That’s what the Emir of Iraq wrote, in 1919.

Mr. President, America must renew its commitment to peace in the Middle East. We must work to regain the fleeting sense of optimism that can lead to political resolution. And we must work to stop the spilling of blood in the land of Abraham.

Mr. President, I urge President Bush to listen to the Iraq Study Group. I urge him to listen to commanders like General Abizaid. And I urge him to listen to the American people.

It is time for America to change course. It is time for a renewed political effort. And it is time to bring the troops home.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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