Susan Davis

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am now happy to yield 5 minutes to the gentlelady from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum).

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am now happy to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek). (Mr. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Yes. Mr. Speaker, we have one additional speaker.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I just want to inquire of our remaining time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I now recognize Mr. Chris Murphy of Connecticut for 5 minutes. He will be our last speaker, and, as we all know, he is a veteran of the Iraq war.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for that, I thank the entire body, and I thank you. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our extraordinary troops and oppose sending over 20,000 additional U.S. forces into the middle of Iraq's violent sectarian conflict. I oppose the President's plan because it will not end the insurgency, halt military activity, or accelerate our departure from Iraq. The plan is not a strategic change. Rather, it is the continuation of a failed policy. When Congress voted to authorize the use of military force, I voted ``no.'' I felt at that time that we had not exhausted all diplomatic avenues and that unilateral action would have a grave effect on our strategic position in the world. More significantly, it could undercut the broader long- term war against Islamic extremism. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, many of these predictions have come through. We now find ourselves in a position where only grim choices remain. The war in Iraq has indeed strained our military, drained taxpayer dollars and damaged our credibility in the international community. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have heard from a number of administration officials and academic experts on the way forward in Iraq. And many of these experts have warned against increasing the number of troops. Last November, General Abizaid told Congress that an increase in U.S. troop levels would only delay the ability of Iraqis to take the lead. Mr. Speaker, what changed between November and today? Even the most ardent proponents of the troop increase acknowledge that to work all pieces must come together. First, the military must be able to quell sectarian and insurgent violence. And then if the violence subsides long enough for a window of opportunity to open, the economic and political components must be executed flawlessly. Even if our forces are successful in reducing violence in the short term, assurances cannot be given that other parts of the government will be able to address the economic and political components of the President's plan. Well, the track record of the administration and the Maliki government make it hard to believe that such a plan will bring real results. One of the most egregious errors of our entire experience in Iraq has been the failure to put trained experts in critical civilian positions. To accomplish this new mission, civilian agencies have been asked to send several hundred experts to Iraq to carry out the plan. However, the military has reported that because of hiring delays, DOD will have to assign their own personnel because U.S. civilian agencies are unable to fill the much needed positions. Mr. Speaker, it should not be the role of the military to rebuild nations on their own. We should have been leveraging our talented and experienced Federal workforce all along. Many of my colleagues have already discussed key issues such as readiness and equipment levels, but two of the greatest concerns I have with the President's plan are the effect on our volunteer force and the strategic risk that is created by putting more military assets into Iraq. By adding more troops, the administration leaves our Nation with fewer resources to deal with Afghanistan and future contingencies. Will we be able to respond if our military is needed elsewhere? With more of our troops bogged down, will our allies around the world continue to have faith in our ability to respond to extremist and military threats around the globe? We must answer these questions. But I have not heard satisfactory responses from the President or military officials. Mr. Speaker, I also oppose the surge because the present administration has not sufficiently answered questions about the impact on military personnel. For those in the military, this war hits close to home every day. While we have asked few Americans to sacrifice during this conflict, servicemembers and their families continue to face the uncertainty of repeated deployments, injury and in some cases the death of a loved one. They deserve better. Mr. Speaker, I told President Bush that veterans in my district have said, ``We are a military at war, not a Nation at war.'' And military leaders agree. Mr. Speaker, if we truly want to create a situation where we can withdraw our troops, we need to escalate our diplomatic efforts and call on Iraq's neighbors to help the Iraqi Government make the tough political decisions needed to reduce the violence. We must not give in to the President's diversion, but develop a multipronged strategic plan the American and the Iraqi people deserve

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a resolution urging President Bush to send a special envoy to the Middle East to focus on solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In my view, we have not committed enough resources to encourage peace in the region. Maintaining the security of the State of Israel will always remain a priority of Congress and the United States of America. This resolution does not change our policy for a secure and safe Israel, but acknowledges that we need to play a more constructive role in the region. I was encouraged to see Secretary Condoleezza Rice make a trip to the region last month. I was also pleased to see the Quartet recently meet to reaffirm their commitment to the peace process. These are important steps, but I worry that they will have the same result as similar efforts and we will not see the type of sustained diplomacy required to solve such a complex issue. I am calling on all my colleagues to help me send a message that we need a new approach. We need a special envoy with the authority to bring all responsible parties to the table. This role was critical in the 1990s and is necessary today. This envoy would work with the Secretary of State to ensure a constant, high-level American presence and provide our country with the ability to capitalize on every opportunity for progress. The United States, Israel and the entire international community cannot afford to miss an opportunity to broker a lasting peace. A special envoy, with the sanctioned mission of securing a lasting peace through negotiation, must be dispatched to the region. Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to introduce this resolution today.

Mr. DAVIS of California

Mr. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield back my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to close on House Resolution 120. I want to thank my colleagues for their eloquence in speaking to this resolution. Truly, the African American spiritual is a national treasure. It must be embraced as such, enjoyed and enhanced, always in our thoughts and in our history because it has played such a critical part to so many thousands and thousands and thousands of people. And so I thank everyone for being here today and for presenting that to us.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper) for 2 minutes.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for 2 minutes.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) for 2 minutes.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro) for 5 minutes.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the African American spiritual as a national treasure. From 1619 to 1865, enslaved African Americans created their own unique form of expression known today as spirituals. As African Americans were not allowed to speak their native languages or play African musical instruments, spirituals were incorporated into the English language and the Christian religious faith. These spirituals were the strong African oral tradition of songs, stories, proverbs and historical accounts. Spirituals have been a part of American culture from times of slavery to today, and their legacy is clear in today's gospel music. Spirituals were also sung during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Songs that we are familiar with, such as ``We Shall Overcome'' and ``Marching 'Round Selma,'' were heard in the South to unite African Americans in the struggle for civil rights. Some of the more commonly known songs, including ``Swing Low Sweet Chariot'' and ``The Gospel Train,'' used language which described religious activities but had a second meaning relating to the Underground Railroad. Calvin Earl, a noted performer and educator of African American spirituals, stated that the lyrics used in spirituals became a metaphor for freedom from slavery, and they were a secret way for slaves to communicate with each other, teach their young, record their history and heal their pain. Frederick Douglass, a fugitive slave who became one of the United States' leading abolitionists, stated that spirituals ``told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension'' and that ``every tone was a testimony against slavery and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains.'' This resolution is endorsed by the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women, and I want to add my voice to theirs in support of helping to preserve a treasured, a really treasured piece of American history. I urge my colleagues to resoundingly pass this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may insert material relevant to H. Res. 120 into the Record.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 120) recognizing the African American spiritual as a national treasure.

Mrs. DAVIS of California

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am just going to close on this resolution and thank my colleagues for bringing it to the floor. This is House Resolution 99, which commends the University of Nebraska- Lincoln volleyball team for winning the NCAA Division I women's volleyball championship. It has been fun for me to listen to my colleagues as they commend this spectacular team. And even though I am a Californian, I still want to let them know that this is a wonderful accomplishment, and particularly, I applaud the women athletes that were part of this contest. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.