[Peace-discuss] From Senator Durbin

[Morton K. Brussel]

…"Our military's performance has been tremendous" he says. But his  
top priority will be to end the war in Iraq, he says.

Dear Morton,



Click here to watch me discuss my recent trip to Iraq, Afghanistan,  
and Pakistan


Twelve days ago, I returned from my third trip to the Middle East,  
visiting Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan over the course of one, eye- 
opening week.  I had the opportunity to meet with Illinois soldiers  
who put their lives in harm's way every day and see for myself the  
effects of the "surge" in Iraq.

Like my previous visits, I felt as though I was witnessing first-hand  
the worst foreign policy mistake in our nation's history.

Flying into Baghdad, our helicopter lands in a cloud of brown dirt  
and we walk our way toward Patrol Base Murray through a foot of deep,  
fine baby powder dust.  The heat is furnace-like: over 120 degrees  
Fahrenheit. Stacks of plastic water bottles can be found at every  
turn. The minute you sit or stop, someone hands you a water bottle.  
In Iraq, water can mean the difference between life and death.  
Recently, a member of the Patrol Base tank crew sat for 10 hours in  
the heat and died of heat stroke.

Colonel Ferrell is in charge of the Patrol Base.  He laughs about  
calling his soldiers "kids" and "sweethearts," but quickly adds they  
are the best fighting men and women he has ever been privileged to  
lead.  For 20 minutes, he walks us across an aerial photograph  
showing the progress he has made.  He tells us Al Qaeda operatives  
intimidate the local people by turning off the irrigation pumps  
needed for their crops and shutting down the electric power station  
to show their strength.  Finally, the locals have gotten fed up and  
are telling his soldiers where to find Al Qaeda safe houses.

Col. Ferrell's unit is scheduled to be deployed for 15 months. Next  
September they will move out. I ask him whether the Iraqi Army or  
Police will take over.  From his answer it is clear there is no post- 
surge follow-up plan.

As we begin to make our way back toward our transportation to our  
next destination, one of the senior officers waits until we are  
alone.  He tells me 15-month deployments are just too long. By the  
end of twelve months my soldiers have "lost their edge, they're just  
going through the motions."  And the 12 months between deployments is  
only half what they really need to reconstitute their units, rest  
them, train them and give them a chance to keep their families together.

"When I left, my daughter was in the sixth grade.  When I get back  
she'll be in the eighth.  It's a long time to be gone," he tells me.

As we depart in the helicopter that will carry us back to the  
relative safety of the Green Zone, the dust swirls around us. The  
only thing that remains clear is that we are no closer to a  
resolution to this grave error than we were almost five years ago.

When the Senate reconvenes this September, I will make sure that  
bringing the war in Iraq to a close remains our top priority. When  
the White House reports on the surge and General Petraeus testifies  
before the Senate next month, we must measure progress not just by  
our military's performance, which has been tremendous -- but by the  
more important yardstick of whether or not the Iraqi Government and  
the Bush Administration have done the hard political and diplomatic  
work needed to bring that country together.

As I saw first-hand during my trip to the Middle East this month, our  
men and women serving abroad have fought courageously. Now it's up to  
the politicians to bring about an end to the Iraq War -- and that  
will be my top priority when I return to Washington in September.

Sincerely,




Dick Durbin
U.S. Senator

P.S. After reading this message and watching the video, please  
forward this email to everyone you know. Help me get the word out  
about my recent trip to Iraq. Thanks for your help.
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