Two Years Later
November 18, 2007, marked the two year anniversary of Jack Murtha’s public call for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. He issued the following statement:
“I was convinced that the President’s lack of strategy in Iraq was harming our military, our international credibility, and the strength of our nation. Two years later, the President remains without a plan and I remain convinced that we must begin an orderly redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as practicable.
“All Americans want stability in the Middle East. But while our military is bogged down in Iraq, instability is spreading throughout the region. Pakistan is in political turmoil, Iran continues development of its nuclear technology, Turkey is pressing towards an invasion of Northern Iraq, and attacks against American and NATO troops in Afghanistan have increased substantially.
“As a nation, we can either continue along the President’s path, one that has fostered instability, or we can listen to the demands of the American people and forge a new direction in Iraq and the region. Political reconciliation and reform in Iraq is the responsibility of the Iraqi government, not the U.S. military. I believe that the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq will give the Iraqi Government the incentive to take over their own country.
“This week the House of Representatives passed legislation that provides the President, our troops, and our nation with a responsible plan for bringing our troops home. It requires the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin within 30 days, with a target for completion of December 15, 2008. It ensures that our troops are fully trained and equipped before they are sent to Iraq. It extends the Army Field Manual to all personnel, making torture not only unacceptable but also unlawful. And it transitions our forces from a combat roll to specifically supporting and training Iraqi Security Forces and counterterrorism operations.”
Unfortunately, in the Senate nearly all Republicans elected to stand by Bush. Over the past two years, Bush’s rubber-stamp Republicans have cost taxpayers an additional $235 billion, while at the pump gas prices have increased by 91 cents a gallon and more than 1,784 of our troops have been killed.
“I was convinced that the President’s lack of strategy in Iraq was harming our military, our international credibility, and the strength of our nation. Two years later, the President remains without a plan and I remain convinced that we must begin an orderly redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as practicable.
“All Americans want stability in the Middle East. But while our military is bogged down in Iraq, instability is spreading throughout the region. Pakistan is in political turmoil, Iran continues development of its nuclear technology, Turkey is pressing towards an invasion of Northern Iraq, and attacks against American and NATO troops in Afghanistan have increased substantially.
“As a nation, we can either continue along the President’s path, one that has fostered instability, or we can listen to the demands of the American people and forge a new direction in Iraq and the region. Political reconciliation and reform in Iraq is the responsibility of the Iraqi government, not the U.S. military. I believe that the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq will give the Iraqi Government the incentive to take over their own country.
“This week the House of Representatives passed legislation that provides the President, our troops, and our nation with a responsible plan for bringing our troops home. It requires the redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq to begin within 30 days, with a target for completion of December 15, 2008. It ensures that our troops are fully trained and equipped before they are sent to Iraq. It extends the Army Field Manual to all personnel, making torture not only unacceptable but also unlawful. And it transitions our forces from a combat roll to specifically supporting and training Iraqi Security Forces and counterterrorism operations.”
Unfortunately, in the Senate nearly all Republicans elected to stand by Bush. Over the past two years, Bush’s rubber-stamp Republicans have cost taxpayers an additional $235 billion, while at the pump gas prices have increased by 91 cents a gallon and more than 1,784 of our troops have been killed.
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