mr. speaker , for the purpose of debate only , i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. mcgovern ) xz4002630 , pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
during consideration of this resolution , all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only . 
mr. speaker , yesterday was an extraordinary day not only in the history of iraq but the history of the world . 
we saw the third free and fair election take place in the country of iraq , and for the first time in the history of that nation we saw the people of iraq choose their own leaders . 
on january 30 of this year , there were many people who thought it could not happen , there were many terrorist attacks , and it actually was slow in coming . 
as you will recall , the pictures that we saw of voting stations where early on no one voted , but ultimately 8.5 million iraqis voted to put into place a coalition government that was charged with the task of fashioning a constitution , a constitution that would work to bring together the very disparate factions that exist within iraq , the three that we know of , the shia , the sunni , and the kurdish populations , and of course the other divisions that exist in the country . 
mid-summer , we saw the work on that constitution proceed . 
we saw the august date approach . 
there were problems , difficulties . 
and then we saw the october 15 election rapidly approach , and people from all over the world , including leaders of the u.s. forces there , were uncertain as to whether or not the iraqi people would in fact ratify their constitution . 
mr. speaker , we saw a 64 percent voter turnout , roughly 10 million iraqis voting , and 78 percent of the people of iraq from throughout the country among all of those three disparate factions within the country came together and overwhelmingly , with a 78 percent vote , ratified that constitution . 
the existence of that constitution called for parliamentary elections to take place , and for , as i said , the first time in the nation 's history we yesterday saw the iraqi people choose their own leaders , a 275-member parliamentary assembly . 
mr. speaker , we do not know yet the exact outcome of that election , but there are a number of very important things we do know about yesterday 's election . 
we thought that there would be wide-ranging terrorist attacks , when in fact there were very few if any difficulties with the election at all when it came to attacks . 
we saw something that came as a great surprise to so many people , and that was a 70 percent voter turnout . 
mr. speaker , 11 million iraqis voted in this election . 
if one looks at where it is that we are headed , it is an amazing testament to what the united states of america and our coalition forces have done . 
we , as a body , strongly support our troops ; and we , as a body , strongly support the mission of our troops . 
mr. speaker , what i would like to do , at this point , is share with my colleagues the resolution that , if we approve this rule , will be considered . 
it is a resolution introduced by the very distinguished chairman of the committee on international relations . 
and i should say parenthetically that our thoughts and prayers are with chairman hyde right now as he is going through a very difficult situation in his family . 
but in his absence , i know that from the international relations committee our colleague from miami ( ms. ros-lehtinen ) xz4003440 came before the rules committee last night and testified on behalf of this resolution ; and she was joined by the distinguished ranking member of the committee on international relations ( mr. lantos ) xz4002310 . 
the resolution reads as follows , mr. speaker : expressing the commitment of the house of representatives to achieving victory in iraq . 
whereas , the iraqi election of december 15 , 2005 , the first to take place under the newly ratified iraqi constitution , represented a crucial success in the establishment of a democratic constitutional order in iraq . 
and whereas , iraqis who by the millions defied terrorist threats to vote , were protected by iraqi security forces with the help of united states and coalition forces . 
now , therefore , be it resolved that : 1 . 
the united states house of representatives is committed to achieving victory in iraq ; 2 . 
the iraqi election of december 15 , 2005 , was a crucial victory for the iraqi people and iraq 's new democracy and a defeat for the terrorists who seek to destroy that democracy ; 3 . 
the house of representatives encourages all americans to express solidarity with the iraqi people as they take another step toward their goal of a free , open , and democratic society ; 4 . 
the successful iraqi election of december 15 , 2005 , required the presence of u.s. armed forces , u.s.-trained iraqi forces , and coalition forces ; 5 . 
the continued presence of united states armed forces in iraq will be required only until iraqi forces can stand up so our forces can stand down , and no longer than is required for that purpose ; 6 . 
setting an artificial timetable for the withdrawal of united states armed forces from iraq , or immediately terminating their deployment in iraq and redeploying them elsewhere in the region , is fundamentally inconsistent with achieving victory in iraq ; 7 . 
the house of representatives recognizes and honors the tremendous sacrifices made by the members of the united states armed forces and their families , along with the members of iraqi and coalition forces ; and , 8 . 
the house of representatives has unshakable confidence that with the support of the american people and the congress , the united states armed forces , along with the iraqi and coalition forces , shall achieve victory in iraq . 
that is what house resolution 612 says , mr. speaker ; and it is very clear to me that an overwhelming majority of the house of representatives will be supportive of this effort . 
now , i think that it is important for us to also look back at a number of the charges that have been leveled over the past couple of years . 
there was no strategy , no plan for victory in iraq . 
we have constantly heard that from many over the past several months . 
i got , as i know all my colleagues did , this 35-page document that was put forward by the president as he began his campaign in the past several weeks to enlighten the american people on what our strategy for victory in iraq is . 
now , there are many who believe that this is some great revelation , but the lead page of this 35-page document , mr. speaker , refers to a speech that was delivered 3 weeks , actually about 3 1/2 weeks , before we began our military engagement in iraq . 
in february of 2003 , president bush said as follows : `` the united states has no intention of determining the precise form of iraq 's new government . 
that choice belongs to the iraqi people . 
yet , we will ensure that one brutal dictator is not replaced by another . 
all iraqis must have a voice in the new government , and all citizens must have their rights protected . 
rebuilding iraq will require a sustained commitment from many nations , including our own . 
we will remain in iraq as long as necessary and not a day more. '' now , that was stated by president bush on february 26 of 2003 , and i commend this document to my colleagues , in which it refers to the fact that we have seen extraordinary achievements take place since we began our effort in iraq . 
the impact that it is having on the region is underreported . 
the positive salutary effect of what the united states of america , the iraqi security forces , and our coalition forces have done has had , i believe , an extraordinarily positive impact on nations like egypt that for the first time in its history held , as i was told by the defense minister of egypt , because of what we have done in iraq they held multicandidate elections ; in lebanon where we have seen people , because of what we have done in iraq , standing up for the cause of freedom say that they will give their lives to ensure that the syrians do not control their country . 
so throughout the region we are seeing very important developments . 
mr. speaker , it is also important to note that we continue to live in a very dangerous world , and that region of the world is particularly dangerous . 
all one needs to do is look at the statement made most recently this week from iran 's leader about the continued quest towards undermining the cause of freedom and liberation and democracy . 
mr. speaker , this resolution makes it very clear . 
we congratulate the people of iraq . 
we underscore the fact that the iraqi security forces , the united states of america and our coalition played a critical role in finally bringing about the self-determination which the people of iraq are now enjoying ; and it makes it clear that the region is still a very dangerous spot on our globe and that any kind of artificial timetable that were put into effect calling for our withdrawal would undermine the tremendous successes that we have been able to see over the past nearly 3 years and , i believe , could jeopardize the future of these people who are just now getting a taste of the kind of freedom that we take for granted . 
with that , mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
