8:14:59 to 8:15:19( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. lieberman: i thank the chair. mr. president, i rise to speak against the amendment introduced by senator levin and senator reed, senators from michigan and rhode

8:15:19 to 8:15:33( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: island respectfully, my friends, and i actually say that with --ith full meaning. i have great respect for the senators from michigan and rhode island. i even like them.| but in this case, i am in deep

8:15:53 to 8:16:14( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: but the strategy is essentially the same, and in doing so, it ignores, i say respectfully, all the changes that have occurred in iraq on the ground in the months that have gone by since the first levin-reid

8:16:34 to 8:16:55( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: and it ignores much of the testimony that general petraeus and ambassador crocker, who live on the ground, gave to congress and the american people last week. so i rise to oppose it because i think it does

8:17:11 to 8:17:26( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: of a strategy that is working and putes puts us on a course to a strategy that i fear will fail das strus disastrously but everyone would have to acknowledge we don't know how it would work as compared

8:17:41 to 8:17:58( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: well, the interesting thing to say is that general petraeus and president bush announce ed last week that a withdrawal of american forces will begin this month. it will reach over 5,000 by the end

8:18:13 to 8:18:31( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: of the iraqi security forces, has allowed our commander on the ground to recommend to the commander in chief, who has accepted the recommendation that we can reduce some of our troop presence in iraq without compromising

8:18:45 to 8:19:01( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: to support his own position, he feels -- and i couldn't agree with him more -- that withdrawals of american troops from battle ought to be made on the basis of what is happening on the battlefield

8:19:12 to 8:19:24( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: to carry out the follow following missions: to protect the united states and coalition personnel and infrastructure, training, equipping, providing logistical support spue the iraqi security forces, and

8:19:40 to 8:19:58( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: troubled that that does not include the groups that iran is training, equipping equipping, and then sending back in iraq which have killed hundreds of american soldiers and thousands of iraqi soldiers and

8:20:14 to 8:20:26( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: the best evidence and judgment that we have based on what's happening on the ground. national intelligence estimate commented quite clearly about what would happen if we limited the mission that our soldiers

8:20:41 to 8:20:52( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: ization role, which is the current petraeus strategy, to a primarily aprimary combat support role for iraqi forces and counter counterterrorism operations, which is the strategy that would be imposed by this

8:21:10 to 8:21:24( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: thus far far. general jones made very clear in the testimony he gave just two weeks ago that -- quote -- " "deadlines can work against us," and i think a deadline of this magnitude would be against our

8:21:39 to 8:21:58( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: a timetable." likewise, we heard from general petraeus, bluntly told us -- quote -- "while one may argue that the best way to speed the process in iraq is to change the mission from one that emphasizes

8:22:14 to 8:22:30( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: diplomatic language chosen by a military man speaking to congress last week. "would be premature." look, as our mission in iraq succeeds, and hopefully continues to succeed, as it is now, both in terms

8:22:44 to 8:23:05( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: mission because the iraqis and the environment will allow us to do that, and it will be transitioned to something i would guess quite like the goal of this amendment. but if you force this by

8:23:22 to 8:23:30( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: direct term "would erode the security gains a achieved so far." i think would begin to unwind iraq and lead to a victory for al qaeda in iranian- and iranian-back the terrorist --iranian-backed

8:23:44 to 8:24:04( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: supporters of the amendment suggest that by withdrawing forces we would force the iraqi government to achieve the political progress we all want. no political solution, people say -- no military solution;

8:24:23 to 8:24:38( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: reach political reconciliation, the ability to self-govern; we're fighting al qaeda and the iranian-backed terrorists. that requires a military solution. and so to say that the goal here is just to

8:24:45 to 8:25:01( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: whole thing apart, and it would be a devastate ing devastate ing loss for iraq, for the region, and for the security of the people of the united states. but listen to what ambassador crocker said

8:25:14 to 8:25:26( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: in consequence of that could actual actually push the iraqis in the wrong direction, to make them less likely to compromise, rather than more likely. it would make them, i fear more focused on building

8:25:38 to 8:25:52( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: of that fight." end quote. that's ambassador vok crocker, who lives with these people every day, the leaders -- political leaders of iraq. and he's saying, watch out. a premature withdrawal by the

8:26:08 to 8:26:24( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: would be following. and you know what? from this distance, though i've been there soirks seven times now, it seems like common sense and human nature that if we pull out too soon, they're not going

8:26:33 to 8:26:48( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: career person, expert in the middle east -- is telling us would happen. i would also point out, as i mentioned briefly at the beginning, that the amendment i fear would leave our troops un unable, even

8:27:01 to 8:27:19( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: american troops and iraqis in iraq. disben general petraeus testified last week -- and i quote again -- "that these elements have a assassinate ed and kidnapped iraqi governmental leaders, killed and wounded

8:27:30 to 8:27:44( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: it does provide for going after -- allowing our troops to go after al qaeda but not the iranian-backed operatives and senator mccain, i think, quite compellingly pointed out on the floor earlier today,

8:28:02 to 8:28:16( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: a sectarian militia or al qaeda? that that's going to not going to work. i am sure my colleagues, include the sponsors of this amendment, agree that the united states has a vital national interest in preventing

8:28:29 to 8:28:40( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: period is over. mr. president, i just want to say that at the end of last year year, after too many months, too many, many mojtses of a strategy that was -- too many, many month months of a strategy

8:28:52 to 8:29:08( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: reality on the ground, wheys we were doing was not -- which is what we were doin on the ground was not work working, was not sceeding. and he met general petraeus, a man who had been in iraq, had disagreed

8:29:25 to 8:29:39( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: to continue the fight in iraq. and president bush brought him back to iraq, accepted his ideas for a new strategy of counter counterinsurgency, of stable izing iraq, gave him the 30,000-plus extra troops and

8:29:55 to 8:30:09( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: iraqi forces are in control of most of baghdad now, not the mitias. and most significantly, al qaeda is on the run.| i heard that bin laden and zawahiri put out another tape today. and i'm beginning

8:30:28 to 8:30:41( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: out of a, an arab country -- iraq -- particularly painful for them, chased out of an enormous sunni-arab province because they're all sunni-arabs, sunni-muslims and that they are on the verge of what

8:30:54 to 8:31:12( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: about how things are going for them. and i'm beginning to wonder whether bin laden and zawahiri, who masterminded the attack against us on 9/11, are now on this, what has become the central battlefield

8:31:25 to 8:31:42( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: is working. this amendment, respectfully to its sponsors, does not regard the facts, does not look at the facts, does not accept the changes that have occurred in our strategy and the success that

8:32:00 to 8:32:14( Edit History Discussion )

Joseph Lieberman: the muslim world and to the cause of security of every american that is threatened by al qaeda, who we know is working, plotting and intends to strike us again, and the fanatics who, unfortunately,

8:32:29 to 8:32:43( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: be jeopardized if this amendment were passed. and that is why i respectfully ask my colleagues to vote "nay" on the levin-reed amendment. i thank the chair and yield the floor. mr. levin: mr. president,