Senate Proceeding on Sep 19th, 2007 :: 5:48:45 to 6:01:55
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5:38:26 to 5:53:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Joseph Lieberman

5:48:39 to 5:48:58( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: that many in this chamber have argue ed honestly and openly for months that general petraeus and his troops were failing to make meaningful progress in iraq and that congress should, therefore,

5:48:58 to 5:49:16( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: order them to begin to withdraw. that could be done by cutting off funding or mandating a congressional deadline for wrap withdrawal. i've argue ed against those recommendations, as my colleagues know.

5:49:16 to 5:49:32( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: but i must say that i respect the fact that those arguments by opponents of the war accept the consequences of their beliefs and they are real and direct. those in the chamber who want to reject the petraeus

5:49:32 to 5:49:47( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: recommendations and his report of progress and impose on him their own schemes for withdrawal of our troops from iraq, i think think, ought to do did in the most direct way rather than any attempt to

5:49:47 to 5:50:01( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: derail this now- now-successful war plan by in indirection. the fact is, regardless of the intention of its sponsors, that the webb amendment, if enacted, will not result in a faster draw drawdown

5:50:01 to 5:50:17( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: of u.s. troops from iraq. the fact is that the commander in chief, the military commander in iraq, are committed to the success of this mission. on the contrary, therefore it would only make it harder

5:50:17 to 5:50:31( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: for those troops along with their brothers and sisters in uniform in afghanistan to complete their mission successfully, safely, and return home -- but to return home with honor to their families and

5:50:31 to 5:50:51( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: their neighbors. mr. president, yesterday a couple of veterans from connecticut -- iraq war veterans -- were in town, came in to see me. at the end of a good discussion in which they did urge me to

5:50:51 to 5:51:03( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: vote against the webb amendment, one of them said to me, senator, we want to win in iraq, and we know we can win. and i said to them, thanks to your bravery and skill and a now good plan and with the

5:51:03 to 5:51:18( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: help of god, you're going to win, so long as the american people and their representatives here in congress don't lose their will. and that victory will not only secure a better sciewch future for

5:51:18 to 5:51:33( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: the people of iraq and more stability and an onpportunity for a course in the middle east that is not determined by the fanatics, the haters, the suicide bombers of al qaeda and iranian-backed

5:51:33 to 5:51:50( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: terrorism but is determined by the people themselves, who pray every day and yearn every day for a better future. and i'll say something else -- there are different ways to burden men and women in uniform.

5:51:50 to 5:52:04( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: one is the stress of combat. another is to force them into a position where they fail. i have had many, many conversations with soldiers from connecticut and elsewhere who have served in iraq. i've had

5:52:04 to 5:52:19( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: the conversations in iraq and here. i don't want to mislead my colleagues on what i'm about to report. i don't get in 100% of those conversations. but i get it in the overwhelming number of those conversations.

5:52:19 to 5:52:34( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: they are proud of what they're doing. they believe in their mission. they believe that they are part of a battle that can help make the future of their families and our country more secure. they're proud.

5:52:34 to 5:52:50( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: they're reenliing at remarkable numbers. that's the best indicator of this attitude. and do you really want to burden them and their families in a way that we can never quite make up for? then put

5:52:50 to 5:53:03( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: us -- take us from the road of success leading to the road of victory and force us directly -- them directly or in indirectly to a retreat and defeat. that can breakat the will of an army. we don't have

5:53:03 to 5:53:10( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: to do it. we mus not do it, and i believe that this senate will not allow this to happen. i, therefore, urge my colleagues to vote against the amendment. i thank the chair, and i yield the floor.

5:53:10 to 5:53:25( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: mr. brown: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio is recognize ed for ten minutes. mr. brown: thank the president president. i want to thank senator webb for his leadership on this

5:53:25 to 5:53:42( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: important issue, as is rise in support of the webb amendment. this amendment, first and fore foremost, is about supporting our troops. it is about supporting military families. every member of this body,

5:53:25 to 5:57:38( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sherrod Brown

5:53:42 to 5:53:55( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: some even more than others, talk about their support for our troops. many put the yellow ribbon magnets on their cars, many wear other kinds of clothing to show their support for the troops. they talk

5:53:55 to 5:54:06( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: about it at home. they talk about it here. this vote will put that support for our troops into action. this amendment ensures that our military gets the rest at home they deserve, that our o military

5:54:06 to 5:54:23( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: ready iness gets the support it needs. this amendment will ensure that our national guardsmen and national guardswomen can stay home for at least three years after returning from deployment. guardsmen

5:54:23 to 5:54:33( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: and women who leave businesses, jobs, families on hold while serving bravely serving our nation. the current iraq policy is over overextending our troops, place placing unacceptable burden on families back home.

5:54:33 to 5:54:47( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: family -- often spouses acting as single parents doing their very best in sometimes worse economic times to keep their families together. i've met with these families for four years, beginning early --

5:54:47 to 5:54:59( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: going back as early as 2003, soon after tens of thousands of american troops were deployed in iraq. they would talk frequently about the shortage of body armor. they talked frequently about the shortage

5:54:59 to 5:55:13( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: of bottled water, about high general products, all the kinds of things that our -- about hygiene products, all the kinds of things that our government needed as they rushed into war without supplying

5:55:13 to 5:55:24( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: troops. families would raise money to send bottled water, to send high general products, whatever their loved ones needed in iraq. our government didn't d what it needed to back then because of the

5:55:24 to 5:55:34( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: poor civilian leadership and the lack of preparation of the civilian leadership for this war in iraq and, i heard comments over and over about the difficulty of adjusting as those troops came back home.

5:55:34 to 5:55:47( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: because of the lack of foresight and the lack of planning on the part of the civilian leadership of our military. our armed forces have served bravely and honorably again and again, deployment after

5:55:47 to 5:56:04( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: deployment, often without, as i said, the proper body armor, without the proper vehicle protection, without the proper training and well-time beten deployments. we fought in this body and the other house for

5:56:04 to 5:56:15( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: more body armor. we fought for more mrap's, the triangular-bottomed vehicles. we shouldn't have to allow a fight to allow our soldiers the proper amount ofest time between deployments. this is something

5:56:15 to 5:56:32( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: that the pilt military has voluntarily done for decades because they know that serves military -- the troops well, they know it serves the families well, and they know principally it serves the

5:56:32 to 5:56:43( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: military well to have that dwell time between deployments. the one-for-one standard of the webb amendment is actually de dep.l.o. ly belowthe standard. we could debate our role in the iraq civil war. we can

5:56:43 to 5:56:55( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: debate time lines foarndz foarndzing our involvementng. we can debate how much money we should spend in iraq. but we shouldn't need to debate how much rest, preparation, and training our troops get before

5:56:55 to 5:57:06( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: they go back off to war. everyone in this chamber talks about supporting our troops, even as our president failed to provide body armored and mrap's, failed to provide support and supplies, and even as

5:57:06 to 5:57:28( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: our president has failed to provide enough money for medical care for the veterans administration when our troops return home. everyone in this chamber talks about supporting our troops. this amendment

5:57:28 to 5:57:38( Edit History Discussion )

Sherrod Brown: puts the soldiers and their families first. they have done their job. mr. president, it's time that we do ours. i yield back. .thank you. ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the fi

5:57:38 to 5:57:56( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: senator from michigan is recognize ed for ten minutes. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. and i want to thank my colleague from michigan, who we are so proud of, for all of his efforts efforts

5:57:38 to 6:06:34( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Debbie Stabenow

5:57:56 to 5:58:13( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: in supporting our troops and leet ing our efforts as it -- and leading our verts s as efforts as it relates to the defense of our country. mr. president, it's time to put aside the -- for a brief moment

5:58:13 to 5:58:23( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: the debate overall i think on the war and focus on the troops. regardless of whether or not you supported going into iraq or, as i did, vot ed "no" on going into that war, we come together. we hear frequently

5:58:23 to 5:58:37( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: from colleagues on both sides of the aisle that of course we support our troops. we want what is best for the brave men and women who are w fighting and are in harm's way, who didn't take that vote,

5:58:37 to 5:58:51( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: who didn't decide the policy, but who are in fact those that we asked to step up and to defend that policy and defend our country. so the question is, what is best for the troops on the ground right

5:58:51 to 5:59:02( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: now in the middle of these conflicts that have gone on now for over four and a half years? we are area here today to talk about what's best for our military, for our troops and for their families. we're

5:59:02 to 5:59:18( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: not here to debate the merits of the mission. i think certainly am willing to do that and do that with other amendments. but this particular amendment, senator webb's amendment, is an effort to

5:59:18 to 5:59:31( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: determine what makes sense when it comes to deploying our armed services, what is best for those who have been willing to put their lives on the line for our country, who follow the leadership of

5:59:31 to 5:59:47( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: thef department of defense and operate under the policy ies that have been set by this congress and this president president. what is very clear is that the current system is broken, mr. president,

5:59:47 to 6:00:01( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: for our trooms.| we're forcing ouror troops into longer and longer combat deployments and giving them shorter and shorter rest periods. we're demanding multiple combat deployments for very short periods

6:00:01 to 6:00:15( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: with many units on their second, their third or even their fourth redeployment in the war in iraq. we're denying the men and women who put their lives on the line for america the time they need off

6:00:15 to 6:00:29( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: from the front lines to recuperate, to retrain to, prepare themselves physically and mentally to return to combat. and just as important, mr. president, to spend time with their families, to be able to

6:00:29 to 6:00:46( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: reconnect with the loved ones that they leave behind when they have ge into this war. and we're placing an unfair and unreasonable burden on those military families, families who are willing to sacrifice,

6:00:46 to 6:01:00( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: who have sacrificed, families who count on us to be there for them, representing their interests and the interests of their loved ones who are on the front lines. we're doing all of it in the name of

6:01:00 to 6:01:19( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: -- they are doing all of it in the name of a policy that the military itself has indicated is not only unreasonable but unsafe. so the department of defense itself has said that the conditions under

6:01:19 to 6:01:35( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: which they are operating has been unreasonable and unsafe. historically, the department of defense, as has been said, has mandated a combat to rest ratio of 1-2, one month on twaorbgs months off, as an example.

6:01:35 to 6:01:50( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: one year in combat, two years at home. to rest, retrain and prepare for the next deployment. in fact, the historic one to two ratio is curntly the stated policy of the d.o.d. we're hearing from colleagues

6:01:50 to 6:02:07( Edit History Discussion )

Debbie Stabenow: on the other side of the aisle as if this is some outrageous idea that we put some parameters around the deployment and redeployment of our troops. and, yet, the stated policy of the department of