todai __PUNCT__ the senat take the first step in a bipartisan effort to prevent the escal of the war in iraq __PUNCT__ and to adopt a new strategi for leav iraq without leav chao behind __PUNCT__
that first step is to debat and vote on the resolut offer by senat warner __PUNCT__ and re __PUNCT__ introduc by senat levin and me as a bill __PUNCT__ that sai that the senat disagre with the presid plan to send __NUM__ more american troop into the middl of a civil war in baghdad __PUNCT__
the question befor us todai is whether a minor of senat will even allow the debat to start __PUNCT__
that what we ar about to vote on __PUNCT__
to my colleagu who ar think about try to block debat __PUNCT__ let me sai thi __PUNCT__ iraq domin our nation life __PUNCT__
it is on the mind of ten of million of american __PUNCT__
it shape the live of hundr of thousand of our men and women in uniform and their famili __PUNCT__
that the senat would not even debat __PUNCT__ much less vote on __PUNCT__ the singl most urgent issu of our time __PUNCT__ would be a total forfeitur of our respons __PUNCT__
we have a duti to debat and vote on the presid plan __PUNCT__
we have a duti to debat and vote on our overal strategi in iraq __PUNCT__
and we have the duti as unit state senat to demonstr the courag of our convict __PUNCT__
three week ago __PUNCT__ secretari of state rice present the presid plan for iraq to the foreign relat committe __PUNCT__
it main featur is to send more american troop into baghdad __PUNCT__ in the middl of a sectarian war __PUNCT__
the reaction on the committe __PUNCT__ from republican and democrat alik __PUNCT__ rang from skeptic to profound skeptic to outright opposit __PUNCT__
and that pretti much reflect the reaction all across the countri __PUNCT__
senat hagel __PUNCT__ senat levin __PUNCT__ senat snow and i wrote a resolut to give senat a wai to vote what their voic were sai __PUNCT__
we believ that the quickest __PUNCT__ most effect wai to get the presid to chang cours is to demonstr to him that hi polici ha littl or no support across the board __PUNCT__
after we introduc our resolut __PUNCT__ senat warner came forward with hi __PUNCT__
the bottom line of our resolut is the same __PUNCT__ mr __PUNCT__ presid __PUNCT__ don't send more american into the middl of civil war __PUNCT__
there wa on critic differ __PUNCT__
as origin written __PUNCT__ senat warner resolut left open the possibl of increas the overal number of american troop in iraq __PUNCT__
we believ that would send the wrong messag __PUNCT__
we should be draw down __PUNCT__ not ramp up __PUNCT__ and redeploi our forc that remain in iraq __PUNCT__
that the best wai to make it clear to the iraqi leader that thei must begin to make the hard compromis necessari for the polit solut virtual everyon agre is necessari __PUNCT__
we approach senat warner to work out the differ __PUNCT__
i am veri pleas to sai that we succeed in do just that __PUNCT__
the languag senat warner remov from hi resolut remov the possibl that it could be read as call for more u. __PUNCT__ troop in iraq __PUNCT__
with that chang __PUNCT__ we agre to support hi resolut __PUNCT__
when i first spoke out against the presid plan surg befor the new year __PUNCT__ i made it clear that i hope to build and demonstr bi __PUNCT__ partisan opposit to hi plan becaus that wa the fastest wai to turn him around __PUNCT__
and that is exactli what we have done __PUNCT__
now __PUNCT__ we have a real opportun for the senat to speak clearli __PUNCT__
everi senat should be given a chanc to vote whether he or she approv or disapprov with the presid plan to send more troop into the middl of a civil war __PUNCT__
the debat we will have is as import as the vote __PUNCT__
i hope the american peopl listen carefulli __PUNCT__
i predict thei will hear veri few of our colleagu stand up and support the presid plan to send more troop into the middl of a civil war __PUNCT__
listen to the voic __PUNCT__ as well as the vote __PUNCT__
just as import as what we ar vote against __PUNCT__ is what we ar vote for __PUNCT__
thi bill __PUNCT__ like the biden __PUNCT__ hagel __PUNCT__ levin __PUNCT__ snow bill make three thing clear __PUNCT__
first __PUNCT__ iraq need a polit settlement to end the sectarian violenc __PUNCT__
second __PUNCT__ the unit state must work with other nation to develop a __PUNCT__ region __PUNCT__ internation __PUNCT__ sponsor peac and reconcili process for iraq __PUNCT__
third __PUNCT__ the mission of us arm forc should be confin to counter __PUNCT__ terror __PUNCT__ train __PUNCT__ and maintain the territori integr of iraq __PUNCT__
the mission should not includ polic a sectarian civil war __PUNCT__
that will requir significantli fewer troop than we have iniraq now __PUNCT__
as i said at the outset __PUNCT__ thi is a first step __PUNCT__
but it can set the foundat for everyth that follow __PUNCT__
if the presid doe not listen to the major of congress and the major of the american peopl __PUNCT__ we will look at other wai to turn the surg around __PUNCT__
even if we succe in that effort __PUNCT__ we still need to turn our overal iraq polici around __PUNCT__
we need a strategi that can produc a polit settlement in iraq __PUNCT__
that the onli wai to stop shiit and sunni from kill each other and to allow our troop to leav iraq without trade a dictat for chao __PUNCT__
i have propos just such a strategi __PUNCT__ and i have more to sai about it in the dai ahead __PUNCT__
but for todai __PUNCT__ my messag is simpl __PUNCT__ the american peopl want us to debat iraq __PUNCT__ the most import issu of our dai __PUNCT__
thei expect it __PUNCT__
thei demand it __PUNCT__
if we try to hide behind procedur and delai tactic __PUNCT__ the american peopl will hold us account __PUNCT__
thei get it __PUNCT__
the question is __PUNCT__ do we __PUNCT__ ar we for or against the presid plan to escal the war in iraq __PUNCT__ i am against it and i believ the major of my colleagu ar as well __PUNCT__
