Carl Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Schumer be granted 5 minutes to speak as in morning business, and the 5 minutes would come off our time on this side from the Iraq amendment.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I would propose that the Senator from Massachusetts and the Senator from Wisconsin control the time which has been allocated to them. And as to when they bring up their amendment, it would be up to them because, as I envision this, they and you or your designee would manage that time.

Mr. LEVIN. I suggest that the two Senators who need 10 minutes each be recognized now and that we try to negotiate these various time needs during their presentation.

Mr. LEVIN. We started at 12:15. I would then yield for 10 minutes to Senator Biden. I then yield 8 minutes to Senator Obama, and then Senator Durbin will be next. Depending on how much time is left we can determine the time allocation.

Mr. LEVIN. No. We understand that.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 3 minutes to the Senator from Washington.

Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Presiding Officer. Mr. President, there is much we all agree upon in this body. We have an interest in the stability of Iraq. And we want to improve the chances of success in Iraq. The disagreement is over whether the present course, with its open-ended commitment to maintain our military presence in Iraq, as we now have it, contributes to that stability or whether or not we must prod the Iraqis to do what only they can do-- come together to end the insurgency and to avoid an all-out civil war. The President of Iraq, Mr. Talabani, a few months ago, said the following about what Iraqis believe. He said that Iraqis believe that U.S. forces are ready ``to stay as long as we ask them, no matter what the period is.'' That perception on the part of the President of Iraq, reflecting the view, presumably, of many Iraqis, that the United States is ``ready to stay'' as long as the Iraqis ask us, no matter what the period is, is a perception which must end. It is a perception that was based on our administration's commitment, which was open-ended, unlimited, unconditional. Iraqis must make a choice. It is a choice that our blood and our treasure has given them. The Iraqis, and the Iraqis alone, can unite to avoid all-out civil war, by making the political power sharing that needs to be done. Only the Iraqis can decide that they are going to divide the resources equitably so that they can bring in all the groups and the insurgency and avoid an all-out civil war. Only the Iraqis can unite to remove the militia control of the police. Their unity can do that. We cannot do that for them. We have given them an opportunity. Mr. President, 2,500 American lives, 7 times as many American wounded, have given them an opportunity. They must make a choice: Do they want a nation or do they want civil war? To maintain this open-ended commitment, which we now have, is contributing to a dependency of the Iraqis on us rather than forcing them, prodding them, to do what only they can do to build a nation. The Levin-Reed sense-of-the-Congress amendment proposes that a phased redeployment of U.S. troops be begun by the end of this year. Our amendment does not establish a fixed ending date for redeployment. It does not propose a fixed timetable once the phased redeployment has begun. But while it does not establish a timetable, it does establish a fixed time for the beginning of a phased redeployment by the end of this year. It is not precipitous. It is by the end of this year begin a phased redeployment of American troops. Mr. President, the National Security Adviser of Iraq has been quoted a number of times on the floor. Do I have a minute?

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 10 minutes to Senator Biden.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I yield to the Senator from Illinois 10 minutes.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, how much time remains on our side?

Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Presiding Officer. The National Security Adviser of Iraq said the following in yesterday's Washington Post: We envisage the United States troop presence by year's end to be under 100,000. That is a reduction of 30,000. That is totally in keeping with what the Levin-Reed amendment proposes. That is the Iraqi envisioned timetable. We want to hold them to that vision for their sake and for ours. Then Mr. Rubaie, the Iraqi National Security Adviser, said the following--and these are words which every one of us should soak in-- that the removal of foreign troops will legitimize Iraq's Government in the eyes of its people.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I yield 5 minutes to the Senator from Delaware.

Mr. LEVIN. If the Senator would yield, I totally concur that this next amendment should be brought up and debated in an orderly way, but that being agreed upon, I would hope, between the sponsors of that amendment and the chairman, the Republican manager. So I do not think there is any need for me, frankly, to intervene in that process. Perhaps you could hear from the Senator from Massachusetts as to what his plans are and how he plans to proceed. I think that would be helpful.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I yield 8 minutes to the Senator from New Jersey.

Mr. LEVIN. I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I call up amendment No. 4320 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I understand that Senator Carper is on his way over. He is next on our side. I wonder if I may inquire how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, is the other side ready?

Mr. LEVIN. Because Senator Feinstein is now on the floor.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I yield 10 minutes to the Senator from Massachusetts.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am wondering if we could sequence speakers.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I yield 15 minutes to the Senator from Rhode Island.

Mr. LEVIN. After Senator McCain is done, we would then seek to sequence the Senator from New York immediately after the Senator from Arizona.

Mr. LEVIN. And then Senator Salazar is here.