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Senator Stabenow Opposes Escalation of Iraq War Last week Senator Stabenow rose and presented the following remarks outlining her opposition to the President’s misguided plan to escalate the war in Iraq. Senator Stabenow, who voted against authorizing the war in 2002, has consistently questioned the handling of the war and believes that the President’s decision to send additional American troops into combat is wrong. Tonight in Iraq over 150,000 American troops are settling in for another long night half a world away from home—they are living, working and fighting in the most difficult conditions that any of us can imagine. They are patrolling crowded streets, standing guard on lonely posts, reaching out to Iraqi citizens and putting themselves constantly in harms way to protect their fellow soldiers. They are there because their government called them. They come from every corner of this great nation; they represent every color, creed, religion and political voice in this country. I have been to Iraq. Many of us have. And I have talked to our men and women in the field—they are the best this country has to offer. For our entire history they have answered when called. They have gone where we have sent them. They have fought when we have asked them. They have dedicated their lives to preparing for wars they did not want, and when asked they have executed their training with pride, bravery and an unwavering spirit. No one in this chamber is questioning the job they are doing--we are all patriots in this debate. I have listened intently over the past weeks, and I have heard colleagues and representatives of the Administration state time and again that those of us questioning the President are somehow undermining the morale of our troops. I find that insulting, not only to me but to our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Open and honest debate about the execution of this war is not only what are our armed forces expect, it is what they deserve. Our citizen soldiers demand our best, and our best is not idle silence. They are on the front lines. In this chamber we use words, but those words have real world consequences, and no one lives those consequences more than our troops on the ground. Debate does not undermine the morale or the will of our armed forces. The lack of a clear, measurable and achievable mission does. They need to know that their leaders have based their orders on reason, not on wishful thinking and a misguided adherence to a failed strategy. They need to know that their leaders have sensibly considered all of the options available, and that those considerations are grounded in fact, not in rhetoric or posturing. On October 11th 2002, twenty-three of us cast a lonely vote against this White House because the evidence was not clear enough to warrant going to war. I cast that vote because I believed that the pretense for war was based not in definable evidence, but on predetermined conclusions. War is a tool of last resort, a decision that should be made with great trepidation when our country is at risk and other options have been exhausted. From day one the reasoning for this war has been unclear and inconsistent. From the initial lack of preparedness for securing Baghdad to this most recent call for escalation we have seen a strategy based on the best-case scenario calculations of politicians, not on the coldly realistic conclusions of career military officers. Some have insisted that this resolution is a ploy to embarrass the President. That is clearly not our goal. This is not a discussion of politics, it is a debate of policies. Any soldier will tell you that there are no politics in a foxhole. The American people, Republicans and Democrats, are asking us to look long and hard at what we are doing in Iraq. We were not elected to stand silently by while our fellow citizens demand answers. This simple fact is clear—escalation is not the answer. Putting more Americans in harms way will not bring our men and women home any sooner. Why would we go further down the path that has lead us to this point? Why would we repeat our previous mistakes and call it a new strategy? A free and stable Iraq can only be secured by the Iraqis. They must embrace responsibility for their collective future and decide that living and dieing at the hands of sectarian violence is not the future they want for their children and grandchildren. We must support their efforts, but we cannot substitute American troops for Iraqi resolve. With the freedom of self-determination comes the responsibility of collective security. We must continue to train our friends in Iraq. We must equip them and provide sensible military support based on the advice of our generals and military experts. And we must lead them by example by embracing the realities of our own democratic process as we attempt to collectively solve the dilemma of the war in Iraq. I stand here in support of the Warner/Levin Resolution and to say that escalation is a mistake. I am certain that when judged by our fellow Americans the votes we cast today to say “enough is enough” to this White House will be greeted with sober support. With heaviness in my heart I am also sadly confident that when judged by history those of us who have questioned the reasoning and execution of this war will have our concerns justified. We cannot change how we got here. That chapter of history is written, set in stone and paid for with the lives of Americans and Iraqis. But we can learn from the path we have walked, and we can change course. I encourage my fellow Senators to vote yes on this resolution.
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