Mr. Speaker. I rise to express my strong concern over US policy in Afghanistan. I worry that we are getting sucked deeper and deeper into a war with no end.
Our mission continues to grow and grow, with no clear sense of where we are ultimately going. It has been eight long years. We have lost too many brave men and women. And we have spent billions and billions of dollars.
The government of Afghanistan—led by President Hamid Karzai— is incompetent and corrupt. The Afghan President has formed alliances with war lords and drug lords who have no interest in a better Afghanistan. His military is not reliable and the police are a mess. And, by all accounts, forces close to Mr. Karzai stuffed ballot boxes in the most recent elections.
Mr. Speaker, if this fraud had occurred in virtually any other country in the world, the condemnations from Congress and the Administration would be loud and forceful.
After all the sacrifices our troops have made, after all the financial and development assistance, after all the training and military aid - is this the best we can expect? Don't we deserve better? Don't the Afghan people deserve better?
At the very minimum, we must insist that any aid be contingent on a responsible Afghan government. Without that, then all our investments and good intentions can achieve very little that is sustainable.
The United States has an incredible team assembled in Afghanistan. I had the pleasure of meeting many of them during a brief recent visit to the country. Both the military and State Department personnel are impressive. I only wish they were in place eight years ago. But, even a brilliant team can't make up for the inadequacies of the current Afghan government.
Our troops are exceptional. I had the privilege of eating dinner with many of them from Massachusetts. I am in awe of their courage, commitment and patriotism.
We owe them a policy that is worthy of their sacrifice.
Everyone - from the President on down - agrees that a political solution is the only path for a successful, stable Afghanistan.
Mr. Speaker, during consideration of the Department of Defense Authorization bill a few months ago, I -along with my colleague from North Carolina, Walter Jones—offered an amendment that would have simply required the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress by the end of the year what our exit strategy for Afghanistan was. We are not asking for a date certain, we are not advocating an immediate withdrawal, but we wanted an answer to this fundamental question—at what point has our military contribution to the political solution in Afghanistan come to an end so we can bring our troops home?
I don't believe that the United States should enter into war without a clearly defined mission. And that means a mission with a beginning, a middle, a transition period and an end. Without that definition and clarity, we will continue to drift from year to year—from Administration to Administration. Mr. Speaker, we need an exit strategy for Afghanistan.
I believe that sending thousands of more American troops into Afghanistan - as some in the Administration appear to be urging—is a mistake. An escalation of US military forces would further create the impression of an occupation and, in turn, provide a powerful rallying point for those we are trying to defeat.
In last Sunday's New York Times, Nicholas Kristoff cites a statement by former US intelligence officials warning that -the more troops we put in, the greater the opposition.- I would like to ask unanimous consent that Mr. Kristoff's article appear in the Record at the conclusion of my statement.
I am not suggesting we walk away from Afghanistan. We, along with the international community, should help with development aid, investments in education and school feeding, training of their police and military, and help with strengthening their civilian institutions.
I also understand the threat from Al Qaeda. I still strongly believe that we should hold those responsible for the September 11th attacks accountable - and we should be committed to defeating them. I voted for the authorization to use military force after the terrorist attacks.
But, Mr. Speaker, Al Qaeda is more of a problem in Pakistan than in Afghanistan. And for those who justify our expanded military presence in Afghanistan as a way to prevent Al Qaeda from ever coming back and establishing a safe haven, I would ask: are we going to send troops to Somalia or Sudan or other countries that have provided safe havens for Al Qaeda in the past?
There are no easy answers in Afghanistan. It is a complicated place - from its people to its geography.
I don't pretend to have all the answers. But I do feel deeply that an escalation of American military forces there would not solve the many problems and challenges of that country. I fear it would only further complicate matters - at a very high cost to our troops and our country.
