Albert Russell Wynn: “Good evening, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday, I had the unfortunate occasion to attend the funeral of Sergeant Princess…”

“Good evening, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday, I had the unfortunate occasion to attend the funeral of Sergeant Princess Samuels, age 22, a graduate of Flowers High School in my district and one of the most recent casualties of our misadventure in Iraq. I rise today to comment on what I consider to be a failed policy in Iraq, because she is only one of over 3,700 American soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. Meanwhile, 27,000 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, 12,000 of whom will not be able to return to action, and although we don't comment on it often, at least 50,000 Iraqis have been killed; 18,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in August alone. It was very sad to be with the family of Sergeant Princess Samuels. Her mother, in an understandable note of bitterness, said that here she found herself prepared for a funeral while the Commander in Chief was preparing for a wedding for his daughter. Her anger was certainly understandable, and our sympathies and those of all us in the Fourth Congressional District go out to Ms. Samuels. So I find it very unfortunate that we begin to hear comments such as 'the surge is working' and that we need to 'stay the course.' This is the wrong course. This is the wrong course. We need to stay engaged, but we need to move away from this military course. Our troops have fought valiantly and they have done everything we have asked of them. They have done more. But, right now, the GAO report tells us that the strategy is flawed.”