WAYNE GILCHREST'S LATEST VOTE ON IRAQ

Copy of email from Congressman Gilchrest's office.

Yesterday Congressman Gilchrest voted for a resolution that urges the re-deployment and reduction of troops in Iraq, and re-defines the military mission in the Middle East. There have already been some gross misrepresentations in the media about this bill, therefore we wanted to attach an actual copy of the bill so that you can read it yourself.

It is important to note a few key points about this vote that are consistent with Congressman Gilchrest's message and position on this issue, which include:

*This bill DOES NOT require the complete withdraw of troops from Iraq, only a re-positioning and re-defining of our mission to include fighting Al Qaeda, training Iraqi troops, and providing security for our military and diplomatic mission.

*This bill DOES NOT affect funding levels for our mission or our troops

*This bill allows the President to determine the level of troops needed for this new mission, but requires he report that need to Congress and the American people.

*The bill requires the development of a comprehensive strategy in Iraq to include diplomatic, economic, political and military components.

Hopefully this information will help to explain Wayne's vote on this issue, and if you have any further questions, please just let us know. (Click on the title of the story for a copy of the bill)

110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. ll
To require the Secretary of Defense to commence the reduction of the number
of United States Armed Forces in Iraq to a limited presence by April
1, 2008, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. SKELTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on llllllllllllll
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Defense to commence the reduction
of the number of United States Armed Forces in
Iraq to a limited presence by April 1, 2008, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Responsible Redeploy-
ment from Iraq Act’’.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—

(1) the Authorization for Use of Military Force
Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107–
243), enacted into law on October 16, 2002, author-
ized the President to use the Armed Forces as the
President determined necessary and appropriate in
order to defend the national security of the United
States against the continuing threat posed by the
Government of Iraq at that time;
(2) the Government of Iraq which was in power
at the time the Authorization for Use of Military
Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 was enacted
into law has been removed from power and its leader
indicted, tried, convicted, and executed by the new
freely-elected democratic Government of Iraq;
(3) the current Government of Iraq does not
pose a threat to the United States or its interests;
and
(4) after more than four years of valiant efforts
by members of the Armed Forces and United States
civilians, the Government of Iraq must now be re-
sponsible for Iraq’s future course.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF
ARMED FORCES IN IRAQ AND TRANSITION TO
A LIMITED PRESENCE OF THE ARMED
FORCES IN IRAQ.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary of Defense shall
commence the reduction of the number of Armed Forces
in Iraq beginning not later than 120 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act and shall complete the reduc-
tion and transition to a limited presence of the Armed
Forces in Iraq by not later than April 1, 2008.
(b) REDUCTION AND TRANSITION TO BE CARRIED
OUT IN A SAFE AND ORDERLY MANNER.—The reduction
of the number of Armed Forces in Iraq and transition to
a limited presence of the Armed Forces in Iraq required
by subsection (a) shall be implemented in a safe and or-
derly manner, with maximum attention paid to protection
of the Armed Forces that are being redeployed from Iraq.
(c) REDUCTION AND TRANSITION TO FURTHER COM-
PREHENSIVE STRATEGY.—The reduction of the number of
Armed Forces in Iraq and transition to a limited presence
of the Armed Forces in Iraq required by subsection (a)
shall further be implemented as part of the comprehensive
United States strategy for Iraq required by section 4 of
this Act. 24

SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE UNITED STATES STRATEGY FOR
IRAQ.
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than January
1, 2008, the President shall transmit to the appropriate
congressional committees a comprehensive United States
strategy for Iraq.
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A discussion of United States national secu-
rity interests in Iraq and the broader Middle East
region and the diplomatic, political, economic, and
military components of a comprehensive strategy to
maintain and advance such interests as the Armed
Forces are redeployed from Iraq pursuant to section
3 of this Act.
(2) A justification of the minimum force levels
required to protect United States national security
interests in Iraq after April 1, 2008, including a de-
scription of the specific missions of the Armed
Forces to be undertaken. The justification shall in-
clude—
(A) the projected number of Armed Forces
necessary to carry out the missions;
(B) the projected annual cost of the mis-
sions; and
(C) the expected duration of the missions.

(3) As part of the justification required by
paragraph (2), the President shall, at a minimum,
address whether it is necessary for the Armed
Forces to carry out the following missions:
(A) Protecting United States diplomatic
members of the Armed Forces who are engaged
in carrying out other missions.
(B) Serving in roles consistent with cus-
tomary diplomatic positions.
(C) Engaging in actions to disrupt and
eliminate al-Qaeda and its affiliated organiza-
tions in Iraq.
(D) Training and equipping members of
the Iraqi Security Forces.
(4) Specific plans for diplomatic initiatives to
engage United States allies and others in the region
to bring stability to Iraq.
(c) UPDATE OF STRATEGY.—Not later than July 1,
2008, and every 90 days thereafter, the President shall
transmit to the appropriate congressional committees an
update of the strategy required by subsection (a), includ-
ing a description of the number of Armed Forces deployed
to Iraq and the missions for which such Armed Forces
are so deployed.
(d) FORM.—The strategy required by subsection (a)
and each update of the strategy required by subsection
(c) shall be transmitted in unclassified form, but may con-
tain a classified annex, if necessary.
(e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’’ means—
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;
and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate.
SEC. 5. ARMED FORCES DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ‘‘Armed Forces’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 101 of title 10, United States
Code.