David Price: “I rise as a sponsor of this important legislation to prohibit the establishment of permanent U.S. bases in Iraq. We have…”

“I rise as a sponsor of this important legislation to prohibit the establishment of permanent U.S. bases in Iraq. We have passed similar legislation before by a wide margin. The first time was a few weeks after I questioned General Abizaid in an appropriations hearing. He could not unequivocally disavow permanent bases, and so the House stepped in and asserted its prerogative on foreign policy by prohibiting permanent bases in Iraq. Now, my colleagues might understandably ask, why are we voting on this bill again today? The reason is that the Bush administration continues to stubbornly reject the will of Congress, of the Iraq Study Group, and of the American people. Defense Secretary Gates recently stated his goal of 'a long and enduring presence' in Iraq. President Bush has stated his vision for a presence 'as we have in South Korea,' where U.S. troops remain 50 years after an armistice. That kind of rhetoric suggests that they have not yet gotten the message, and it seriously damages our cause. The Iraqi people and the American people need assurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that occupation is not a permanent state of affairs. So I urge my colleagues to support this legislation today, and to once again unequivocally state that the U.S. will not establish permanent bases in Iraq, because this administration and the world need to understand that America's misadventure in Iraq must and will come to an end.”