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Mrs. Boxer: Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the issue of Iraq, to call on the President to sign the supplemental appropriations bill, the emergency bill that we will be sending him, and also to pay tribute to 43 young Americans who have been killed in Iraq from my State since January 30, 2007. This brings to 720 the number of soldiers who were either from California or based in California who have been killed while serving our country in Iraq. This represents 22 percent of all U.S. deaths in Iraq.

I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record their names, their ages, the circumstances of their death.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

• SGT Alejandro Carrillo, 22, died January 30, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sergeant Carrillo was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 7, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA. He was from Los Angeles, CA.
• CPL Richard O. Quill III, 22, died February 1, from a nonhostile cause in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Corporal Quill was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• CWO Keith Yoakum, 41, died on February 2, in Taji, Iraq, when his helicopter crashed. Chief Warrant Officer Four Yoakum was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Hemet, CA.
• SGM Joseph J. Ellis, 40, died February 7, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sergeant Major Ellis was assigned to Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• SGT James R. Tijerina, 26, died February 7, when the helicopter he was flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sergeant Tijerina was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• SGT Travis D. Pfister, 27, died February 7, when the helicopter he was flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sergeant Pfister was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• CPT Jennifer J. Harris, 28, died February 7, when the helicopter she was flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. She was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• 1LT Jared M. Landaker, 25, died February 7, when the helicopter he was flying in crashed while supporting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. First Lieutenant Landaker was assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA. He was from Big Bear City, CA.
• SGT Robert B. Thrasher, 23, died on February 11, in Baghdad, Iraq, when his dismounted patrol received small arms fire. Sergeant Thrasher was assigned to D Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, TX. He was from Folsom, CA.
• PVT Clarence T. Spencer, 24, died February 4, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire in Baqubah, Iraq. Private Spencer was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from San Diego, CA.
• SP Dennis L. Sellen, Jr., 20, died on February 11, in Umm Qasr, Iraq, of noncombat related injuries. Specialist Sellen was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard, Fresno, CA. He was from Newhall, CA.
• SP Ronnie G. Madore Jr., 34, died February 14, in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Specialist Madore was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from San Diego, CA.
• SGT Carl L. Seigart, 32, died February 14, in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Sergeant Seigart was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from San Luis Obispo, CA.
• LCpl Brian A. Escalante, 25, died February 17, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Escalante was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
• SGT Clinton W. Ahlquist, 23, died February 20, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Sergeant Ahlquist was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• LCpl Blake H. Howey, 20, died February 18, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Howey was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA. He was from Glendora, CA.
• SP Louis G. Kim, 19, died on February 20, in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when he received small arms fire. Specialist Kim was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. He was from West Covina, CA.
• PFC Rowan D. Walter, 25, died February 23, of injuries suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on February 22. Private First Class Walter was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO. He was from Winnetka, CA.
• SGT Richard A. Soukenka, 30, died on February 27, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle. Sergeant Soukenka was assigned to the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY. He was from Oceanside, CA.
• SSG Dustin M. Gould, 28, died March 2, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Staff Sergeant Gould was assigned to 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• Hospitalman Lucas W.A. Emch, 21, died March 2, when an improvised explosive device detonated in his vicinity while conducting combat operations in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq. Hospitalman Emch was a hospital corpsman assigned to 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• SP Christopher D. Young, 20, died March 2, in Safwan, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Specialist Young was assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment, California Army National Guard, San Pedro, CA. He was from Los Angeles, CA.
• LCpl Raul S. Bravo, 21, died March 3, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Bravo was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
• SSG Christopher R. Webb, 28, died March 7, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Staff Sergeant Webb was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Winchester, CA.
• SP Adam J. Rosema, 27, died on March 14, in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle. Specialist Rosema was assigned to the 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Pasadena, CA.
• SP Stephen M. Kowalczyk, 32, died on March 14, in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of injuries sustained from small arms fire. Specialist Kowalczyk was assigned to C Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from San Diego, CA.
• PFC Alberto Garcia, Jr., 23, died on March 13, in Baghdad, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle was followed by small arms fire. Private First Class Garcia was assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. He was from Bakersfield, CA.
• LCpl Steven M. Chavez, 20, died March 14, from a nonhostile incident in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Chavez was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA.
• LCpl Harry H. Timberman, 20, died March 17, from wounds received while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Timberman was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
• SGT John E. Allen, 25, died on March 17, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle. Sergeant Allen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, TX. He was from Palmdale, CA.
• SSG Darrell R. Griffin Jr., 36, died on March, 21, in Balad, Iraq, from wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with small arms fire during combat operations. Staff Sergeant Griffin was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, WA. He was from Alhambra, CA.
• LCpl Daniel R. Olsen, 20, died April 2, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Olsen was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
• SP Curtis R. Spivey, 25, died on April 2, in San Diego, CA, of injuries sustained on September 16, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle. Specialist Spivey was assigned to B Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Chula Vista, CA.
• PFC Gabriel J. Figueroa, 20, died on April 3, in Baghdad, Iraq, when he received small arms fire while on dismounted patrol. Private First Class Figueroa was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Baldwin Park, CA.
• PFC James J. Coon, 22, died April 4, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when in improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Private First Class Coon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, TX. He was from Walnut Creek, CA.
• PFC Walter Freeman Jr., 20, died April 4, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Private First Class Freeman was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, CO. He was from Lancaster, CA.
• SSG Jesse L. Williams, 25, died April 8 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire while conducting combat operations in Baqubah, Iraq. Staff Sergeant Williams was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, WA. He was from Santa Rosa, CA.
• LCpl Daniel J. Santee, 21, died April 14, from a nonhostile vehicle accident in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Santee was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, NC. He was from Mission Viejo, CA.
• 1LT Shaun M. Blue, 25, died April 16, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. First Lieutenant Blue was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
• LCpl Jesse D. Delatorre, 29, died April 16, from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Lance Corporal Delatorre was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CA.
• PFC Steven J. Walberg, 18, died April 15, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. Private First Class Walberg was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS. He was from Paradise, CA.
• SGT Mario K. De Leon, 26, died April 16, in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire. Sergeant De Leon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany. He was from San Francisco, CA.
• PFC Jason M. Morales, 20, died April 18, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. Private First Class Morales was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, KS. He was from La Puente, CA.
• CPL Michael M. Rojas, 21, died on April 18, in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle. Corporal Rojas was assigned to C Battery, 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, WA. He was from Fresno, CA.

I would also like to pay tribute to the two soldiers from California who have died while serving our country in Operation Enduring Freedom since January 30.

• PFC Kristofer D. S. Thomas, 18, died February 18, in southeastern Afghanistan when the Chinook helicopter he was in crashed. Private First Class Thomas was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, GA. He was from Roseville, CA.
• SP Agustin Gutierrez, 19, died on March 29, in Kabul, Afghanistan, when his military vehicle overturned. Specialist Gutierrez was assigned to the 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, NC. He was from San Jacinto, CA.

Mrs. Boxer: Mr. President, if you come to my office--I think you have had the opportunity to do so--you will see in front of the entrance at 112 Hart four huge placards with very small print paying tribute to those from California who have died in this conflict. The sadness of all sadness is that we keep having to send these posters back to be printed in yet smaller print because we keep having to add so many to it, and we are actually running out of space. We will have to get special permission from the Architect of the Capitol to place yet another placard in front of our door.

But we will do it regardless because we must put names on this conflict, ages on this conflict, we must pay tribute to those who are being sacrificed, in my opinion, by a President who simply will not change course, for whatever reason, from a failed course.

Anyone who reads the Constitution--I highly recommend it; it is a very readable document; it is a very concise document--will see that when it comes to war, there is a shared responsibility. As a matter of fact, if you read the Constitution, you will see Congress mentioned far more times, far many more times than the President. The President cannot act as if he is king. We already had a king, King George. We have a democracy. This is what the President says our young people are dying for in Iraq. Yet at home he acts as if he is a one-man show when it comes to Iraq.

Mr. President, the American people said no to that this past election. Yet it continues as if there is no Congress, there has been no election, there has been no change of heart by the American people, when, in fact, there has been an enormous change of heart by the American people. That change of heart is reflected in the election, in the composition of this Senate, and you, Mr. President, actually are part of that change, that message that we wanted a change in the leadership. With all of this, it just goes on and on.

Today is the fourth anniversary of the President's speech that major combat operations are over. Four years ago he said that, in a military outfit. Yet, still, in today's paper: April toll is highest of 2007 for U.S. troops. Over 100 killed this month. The Iraqi deaths are far higher.

Three years ago the President said: Major combat operations are over. Today we read: The deadliest month in 2007. As a matter of fact, in the past 3 days--as of yesterday, 3 days prior to that, we had 14 dead. That is about one for almost every person in the President's Cabinet.

What would it be like if 14 people sat around the President's Cabinet table, and every one of them had lost a child? How long would this war last? How long would this war last? But who is paying the price? Who is paying the price? Our military families. They want a change. We want success.

How do you get success? It is by changing course. It is what we sent the President. If you read what we sent the President in this emergency bill--I say to the Presiding Officer, I know you are so aware of it--it is a change in course. We are going to shift, as the Iraq Study Group suggested, from a combat mission to a support mission. We are going to gradually redeploy our troops out of there--not overnight--but sensibly. We are going to leave forces in Iraq to target al-Qaida, which never was in Iraq before this war, and now they are all over it because they want to go after our troops. So we are going to leave troops there in Iraq. That is what the Feingold-Reid-Boxer bill does as well. It says we have to have a mission there to go after al-Qaida when this war is over. We say training the troops is OK. Going after al- Qaida is what we want to do, and we want to have enough troops there for force protection.

So anyone reading this--when the President says it is irresponsible, maybe he has not read it. There is time, Mr. President. You have not gotten this bill yet. Read it again. Look at it. We are changing course in a responsible way, the way the Iraqi Study Group that you praised says we should do. That was a bipartisan group. We all remember it: Secretary Baker, Lee Hamilton, and the others.

Do you know why we have to change course? Because the mission you have given our military cannot be accomplished militarily. The mission now is--and since the mission has changed so many times, we have to go back. The mission now is: Bring stability and democracy to Iraq, and Iraq at peace within its own borders and with its neighbors, and an ally in the war against terror. That is the President's goal. That is a political and diplomatic goal, I say to you, Mr. President. It is not a military goal. The military cannot do that. The military has done everything asked of it, and more.

The first mission: Find the weapons of mass destruction. They went into every nook and cranny of Iraq. There were none. So that mission: done, accomplished.

The President said: Go get Saddam. They did it. That mission: accomplished. That tyrant is gone forever.

He said: Go get his sons because maybe they will get the idea we mean business. The military got his sons, put the pictures on television of their dead bodies. It did not do the job.

What was the next mission? We have to hold elections. The military did a magnificent job. Three elections were actually held, and they have a government. Now, that Government will go on vacation, as I understand it, for 2 months while our troops are dying.

The fact is, the military has done every single thing asked of it. We are now at a point where the only way to win this war is to win it diplomatically, politically. Yet, this President will not change course. His solution is, more military action, a surge, which was supposed to last a few weeks--now we are being told a few months--and our military is paying the price. They are paying the price.

I want to read from this news article today: "April Toll Is Highest of '07 for U.S. Troops":

On Monday, U.S. troops at Camp Victory, a sprawling base near Baghdad International Airport, reflected on April's deadly toll on their comrades… .

"It makes me feel depressed to be in Iraq right now," said [Private Richard] Gonzalez, [22 years old,] who is on his second deployment. "It's a whole lot different than last time."

Now, he said, soldiers at the base must carry weapons. Return addresses on letters from home must be ripped off and burned, so as not to fall into the wrong hands. On his first deployment, eight months passed before his Baghdad base was hit by mortar fire.

This time, incoming fire every single day--4 years after "mission accomplished."

"There's a whole lot more activity," said Spec. Krystal Fowler, 21, of Hampton, Va. She said it "kind of bothers" her to know other troops are taking hits in the field and she can't help.

SPC Natisha Jetter said:

Our fellow soldiers are out there dying, and we're here….

Gonzales said the deaths made him realize that "there's a war going on out there."

Fowler sighed. It's a war between Iraqis, she said.

"We are just interfering, and letting our soldiers die."

"I'd rather be out there helping people survive," Fowler said….

There was a pause, as the soldiers mulled that.

"It's just terrifying, because you can drive the same road for eight months, and then one day it's over," Gonzalez said.

"Over," Fowler echoed.

I ask, rhetorically, in light of what our troops are feeling, saying--going there for a second deployment, third deployment and more, and the increased number of deaths of our troops, and the horrific things that are happening in Iraq, detailed in the Red Cross report, which I ask unanimous consent to be printed in the Record, Mr. President, this International Red Cross report.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

Mrs. Boxer: This report is called "Civilians Without Protection." I will go into it in a minute. But in light of everything that is happening, how on Earth could the President sit in the Oval Office and say: "I am vetoing this bill that is coming to me, and I want to just continue what I am doing"? A military solution is what he is doing, and he is going to continue it.

In light of everything that has gone on, doesn't this President understand it is time for a change? Doesn't he listen to the voters? Doesn't he read these articles? "Send me the bill. I am going to veto it"--very macho like. I do not think it is macho like. I think it is wrong. I do not think it is brave to continue a policy that is failing. I do not think it is courageous not to admit it is time for a change. I do not think it shows strength. I think it is stubborn. I think it is wrong. And, worst of all, our troops are paying the price for this stubbornness. This is not the same as being stubborn in an argument we might have about some small matter. Oh, I think this book is better than this book, and I think this singer is better than this one. This is involving the lives of our soldiers.

Now, this "Civilians Without Protection" report is very tough to read, by the International Red Cross. Let me share some of it with you: the pictures, the headlines, the words.

One section is called "A conflict that spares no one."

In some regions, particularly Baghdad and area, families are often too afraid to leave their homes to go to work or to shop and too afraid to send their children to school because of random violence and the threat of kidnapping for ransom.

This one is very tough to take--very tough to take. It is written by a young humanitarian worker from Baghdad. It is in the Red Cross report.

Once I was called to an explosion site. There I saw a four- year-old boy sitting beside his mother's body, which had been decapitated by the explosion. He was talking to her, asking her what had happened. He had been taken out shopping by his mom.

How do you sit back and say "status quo"? How? How? Why not welcome a change? Why not welcome the Iraq Study Group? Why not welcome the work that has been done here in 50, 60 different hearings which we have held?

Another part: "Sliding to disaster," in the International Red Cross report. Another part: "Medical care under threat." Another part: "Dirty and scarce--the water crisis." Another part: "Torn apart--The fate of separated families." It goes into the agony. I ask us all to imagine what it would be like to worry about our kids for even 15 minutes, let alone days and months.

This Red Cross report is printed in the Record.

Mr. President, also, I ask unanimous consent that the entire article I referred to from the newspaper be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

Mrs. Boxer: This President's policies left unchecked have been a disaster. And what does he want? More of the same. He criticizes us for coming up with a new policy, and this new policy will work because it combines a gradual redeployment of troops, a focus on getting al-Qaida, a focus on training the Iraqis, with a focus on diplomacy and a political solution, which is exactly what everyone says we need.

General Petraeus says we must have a political and diplomatic solution. Well, everyone has heard it, but obviously not this President. Mr. President, sign this bill. Have a change of heart. Read the paper today. Read the quote from this humanitarian worker. Read what our troops are saying. Read about it. Reconsider.

Also, Mr. President, take a look at what we have done for our people here at home in this bill. You deride it. You make it sound as though we are spending on things we should not. Why shouldn't we fix Walter Reed? Why shouldn't we fix the Veterans' Administration so when our soldiers come home they get mental health care? Why shouldn't we invest in better technologies to protect our troops from these horrific land mines, car bombs, et cetera? That is what is in this bill.

Why shouldn't we help our farmers who lost their money because of horrific droughts, horrific frosts? That is what these bills are for, emergencies. On Sunday, we all learned about the horror that happened in Oakland, with a gasoline tanker overturning on a major interstate connecter. It collapsed onto the freeway below. Miracle of miracles: the middle of the night, in the early morning, 3:40 or so a.m. No one killed. Thank you, God. And we pray that the driver survives.

But here is the point: There is money in this bill for emergencies such as that. There is a backlog of these emergency fixes that have had to be done to our freeways. So, Mr. President, there is real beef in this bill for our people, for our veterans, for our fighting men and women. And, most important, we change course. We change course. We don't have a hard-and-fast date to get out, as others have said. We have a goal to get out: in April of 2008.

When I went to Iraq 2 years ago, I met with General Petraeus at length. I watched how he was training the Iraqi soldiers. He was very complimentary. He said they are doing great. I said to him: If they are doing so great, why can't we go home? It is their country. They have to defend their own country. He said: Well, pretty soon they will be able to do it. Clearly, they are not doing it. Clearly, the Iraqis are turning on each other. What is our military to do?

As Thomas Friedman said,

Our troops are protecting everyone, and yet they are everyone's target.

They are protecting the Sunnis from the Shia. When they are protecting the Shia, the Sunnis get them. That is an irresponsible policy. So what we need to do is get through to this President. I ask all the American people to keep on speaking out, to ask the President in these next couple of hours to sign this bill. We can finally change course. We have been in Iraq longer than World War II. We can't afford this conflict, and that doesn't mean you cut and run. Anyone who says that is what we are saying is wrong. Read the bill. We redeploy out of Iraq, we stay in the region to go after al-Qaida and to train the Iraqi forces.

We can't afford this anymore. Mr. President: Sign the bill.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The Presiding Officer: The clerk will call the roll.

The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Mr. Dorgan: Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

The Presiding Officer: Without objection, it is so ordered.