Timothy H. Bishop: “I rise with grave concerns about the situation in Iraq. As I indicated during a Special Order organized last week by the…”

“I rise with grave concerns about the situation in Iraq. As I indicated during a Special Order organized last week by the gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Larson, I believe the war in Iraq is the centerpiece of the administration's failed foreign policies. The war in Iraq has proven to be a diversion from what should be our primary foreign policy focus, winning the global war on terror. Our preoccupation with Iraq is decimating our Armed Forces, who now find themselves entrenched in a civil war where they do not belong. The administration's failure to measure progress in Iraq is matched by its broader foreign policy failures. North Korea and Iran present greater risks to our safety and security than they did when the President identified them as the ``axis of evil'' in his 2002 State of the Union address. Today, the situation in Iraq is a tragedy, for America, for our brave troops in uniform, for the future of our Nation, and for the prospect of Middle East peace which fades every day we stay in Iraq and as the violence between Israel and Hezbollah continues. Although 2006 was supposed to be a ``year of significant transition'' pursuant to last year's defense authorization law, we are no closer to finishing the year with any measure of positive transition than we were when the year started.…”