House Rejects Escalation

This afternoon, after four days and three nights of debate, the House of Representatives voted 246 to 182 to approve a resolution expressing support for our brave men and women serving in Iraq, and rejecting the President's escalation proposal. Today’s vote signaled a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home safely and soon. Democrats are urging the President to adopt a strategy for success that changes the mission from combat to training, counter terrorism activities, and force protection and logistics; redeploys our troops; builds political consensus; engages in diplomacy; reforms reconstruction; and refocuses on the war on terror.

Success in Iraq requires more than military force. It requires a political and diplomatic solution that engages Iraq’s neighbors and produces an inclusive political system in Iraq. By placing so much emphasis on dealing with the problems in Iraq militarily and not enough emphasis on sustained political and diplomatic engagement, the President’s escalation plan repeats past mistakes. The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success.

The longer it takes us to resolve the situation in Iraq, the longer resources and attention will continue to be diverted from the war on terrorism. Our ability to respond to the escalating conflict in Afghanistan and other potential crises in the world is constrained severely by the deterioration in military readiness to levels not seen since the Vietnam era.

According to recent news reports, the Army lacks thousands of advanced armor kits for Humvees that could protect against roadside bombs, the cause of 70% of American casualties in Iraq. In addition, existing shortages of trucks and other crucial equipment such as jamming devices, radios and other gear will only be exacerbated by the troop surge. Lodging and logistical support is also reportedly in short supply for the newly deployed forces. It is wrong to deploy troops until they have the up-armored Humvees, equipment, lodging, training and other support required to carry out their mission. Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid wrote to President Bush this week, urging him to take the necessary steps to ensure that the tens of thousands of soldiers being sent to escalate the war in Iraq have the armor and equipment needed to perform their mission and protect their lives.

We owe our troops a course of action in Iraq that is worthy of their sacrifice. Today's vote sets the stage for additional Iraq legislation, which will be coming to the House floor.