10/25/2006 1:38:00 PM
http://democraticleader.house.gov/pressRelease.cfm?pressReleaseID=1892Contact: Brendan Daly or Jennifer Crider, 202-226-7616, both of the Office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on President Bush's press conference this morning on the war in Iraq:
"More than three and a half years after the war in Iraq started, Baghdad remains a battleground, the pacification of the Sunni heartland has been declared militarily unachievable and American casualties continue to mount. President Bush has finally concluded, despite having been warned by the State Department before the war began, that the war in Iraq can only be successful with a focused diplomatic and economic effort. That effort is long past due.
"The President says that the war in Iraq is different than World War II. It sure is -- we had a plan to win World War II and we don't in Iraq.
"President Bush's Iraq policy has been a dismal failure. The President has abandoned his stay the course slogan; it is long past time he abandon his stay the course policy."
"The President's performance this morning provided ample evidence of why his strategy is failing so badly in Iraq -- he is in denial.
-- Mr. Bush said that Americans won't stand in a cross-fire between rival factions. We already are.
-- Mr. Bush said that there would be support for the war as long as there is no disillusionment about the purpose of the war. How could the American people not be disillusioned when the stated purpose for starting the war was wrong and so many justifications have been used for continuing it that it's impossible to keep track of them all?
-- Mr. Bush said that the melting away of the Iraqi army and inadequacy of the Iraqi civil service were not foreseeable, and that they are in large part responsible for current problems in security and governance. The Bush Administration ordered that the army be disbanded and the civil service purged of anyone having any connection to the Baath Party -- what did they expect the result to be?
-- Mr. Bush said that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has done a good job transforming our military posture around the world and ensuring military readiness at home. While our troops continue to serve with bravery and valor, unfortunately our Army is at its lowest level of readiness since Vietnam and not a single combat brigade in the United States is ready to perform its war-time mission. That does not constitute a good job.
-- Mr. Bush said that defeat in Iraq would help terrorist recruiting efforts. The National Intelligence Estimate on global terrorism, recently partially declassified, makes it clear that it is the war in Iraq that is making it more difficult for us to fight and win the war on terrorism."
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