WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4) today made the following remarks on the House Floor regarding the Iraq Resolution Debate.

"Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the debate over the last two days, really dozens of speeches, and, frankly, speeches of exceptionally high quality on both sides of the issue.  I have listened particularly to the speakers who were here in 2002 when the momentous decision to go to war was actually made.  Those who were opposed, I have admired because in their opposition in October of 2022 they were taking an unpopular position, but clearly one that they believed in, and I think they deserve our respect for that, even if I don't agree with that particular point of view.

Second, I have watched those who voted in favor of that tough decision, and I have watched as they have stuck to that decision because they believe the stakes are so important for the United States.  They have done so even when public opinion has turned against their position.  And I admire that.

Frankly, I have watched speakers who have changed their position, who were first for the war and now are opposed to it.  It is easy to deride people in that position.  But, quite frankly, I have watched them, and they are anguished in their opinions and their conclusions; they are sensitive, obviously, to the easy and cheap criticism of opportunism.  And I particularly admire those, frankly, in my own party who have broken with their President and their party over a position that they believe in deeply.  I don't agree with them, but I admire them.

What I don't admire is the Democratic leadership that has brought us a resolution which is divisive without being decisive.  It orders no action.  I have spoken on that at length before, and I am not going to go into it now.  I want to instead focus on the issues at stake.

Like all of those elected in 2002, 2004, 2006, I was not part of the initial decision to go to war, and, frankly, I often think how fortunate I was to have been spared that responsibility.  But, of course, none of us on this floor every truly escapes responsibility.

My attitude toward this conflict reflects that of my district, and, frankly, that of my father, who was a career noncommissioned officer in the United States Army.  I recall once when he was talking about war, he summed it up pretty simply: When you are in it, win it.

That is what I have tried to do with my vote, my voice, my energy, since I have been elected to represent my district.  I have done so because, frankly, in some areas I have seen progress.  Removing Saddam Hussein from power was a good thing and I am proud that that was accomplished, and it would not have been accomplished without the valor and the professionalism of American men and women in arms.

I am pleased to have seen a Constitution formed in Iraq that is the envy of the Arab world.  I am proud to have seen three elections take place, all of which had increasingly high participation and had, frankly, higher percentages than vote in our own elections.

I was hopeful when I saw a coalition government formed that had Kurds, that had Sunnis, that had Shia, that had other elements in the Iraqi population.

I have been impressed with Iraqi forces that do stand and fight.  And let's make no mistake about it: Most of the fighting and dying militarily is being done by Iraqis and they deserve our respect for that.

And, frankly, I think like all Americans, I was enormously relieved when I see actors like the late Al-Zarqawi, people who would kill Americans anywhere, anytime, who are not from Iraq, being sought out with the help of Iraqis and killed far away from our shores.  That is important, and that is something we should acknowledge.

I have also supported the war because I feared the consequences of defeat in Iraq.  And, believe me, there are consequences to losing the war.  These are real.

If we are not successful in Iraq, we will have an emboldened enemy.  Not just the terrorists that we deal with, they are bad enough, but also the states that use terrorism as a tool of diplomacy.  States like Iran, states like Syria, will draw comfort.

We will have demoralized friends in the region and around the world that wonder whether or not they can really count on us once we make a commitment.

We will see the death of an infant democracy, never a good thing for the lovers of freedom.

We will see a sectarian bloodbath in Iraq that will result in the death of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of Iraqis.

And we will see a destabilized region in which the United States has vital interests and to which our own security is intimately tied.

I acknowledge that things have not gone in Iraq as I, certainly, and I think everybody, regardless of their position on the issue, would have hoped.  There is no question that we underestimated what was required, not to defeat Saddam, frankly, that was done brilliantly, but to secure Iraq.

We have underestimated the persistence of and the difficulty the outside players would create for us.  We underestimated how anxious people inside Iraq would be to settle old scores instead of to look ahead.  And we have underestimated the impact of the divided loyalties of Iraqis themselves, where so often we see sect against sect, ethnicity against ethnicity, tribe against tribe.

But these difficulties and mistakes, regrettable as they are, do not change the consequences of losing Iraq, for the region, for Iraqis, and, most importantly, for ourselves.  At this critical point, the President has offered a plan to avert defeat, and, if the Iraqis are up to the task, to turn the tide.  It has an American military component, and that is what this resolution deals with.

But contrary to what I have heard on the floor, it is not a major escalation in forces.  It is not an effort to allow the Iraqis to avoid the fighting.  Nor is it an effort to win militarily.  It is an effort to buy the time needed to create an environment in Iraq that will allow Iraqis to succeed politically.  It will allow them to begin to push toward the reconciliation process and review the de-Baathification program.  It will allow them to share power with tone another.  It will allow provisional elections to take place.  It will allow oil revenue to be distributed more equitably.  It will allow Iraqi units the time to train, stand up and continue to fight and fight more professionally and proficiently than they have.

The U.S. force is indispensable in achieving these measures, but it will not be and it is not intended to be decisive.  What will win or lose in Iraq ultimately are Iraqi politicians: Can they put their differences aside?  Iraqi soldiers: Can they fight for their country instead of against one another?  And the Iraqi people:  Can they put aside the differences and demand better leadership than they have received thus far from their own people.

Some will say this is a hopeless task, but our military leaders and our troops in the field don't tell us that.  General Petraeus, a man whom all sides acknowledge is not only professional, capable, but is dedicated and a great patriot, tells us he thinks this is an achievable mission if he has the forces he needs to succeed.  The average soldiers that I talked to from my district and other unites also tell me they believe this is doable.  But they want us in Congress and in this country to have the political resolve to match their personal courage.

History teaches us that freedom is a powerful force.  We should trust it.  And it also teaches us sometimes it needs outside help.  All of us as Americans are justly proud of the American Revolution.  We often forget it took a French fleet, French army and Dutch money to finally finish the job.

Mr. Speaker, because I believe the consequences of losing in Iraq are horrible for Iraqis, for Americans, and for the cause of liberty and our friends around the world; because I think that we, the Iraqis and the Americans together, can still win; because I believe that defeat has catastrophic consequences for the United States, I urge the rejection of this resolution and support the cause that our fighting men and women are so nobly advancing in Iraq."

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