Below is Rep. Perlmutter’s statement in anticipation of President Bush’s address to the nation tonight concerning Iraq:
“Tonight the President will announce he will possibly withdraw up to 30,000 troops from Iraq by July of 2008, which would leave 130,000 troops in Iraq. This is no change from the end of 2006, when we had 130,000 troops in Iraq. The American people sent a clear message in November that they wanted a reduction from that 130,000 troop level. Instead, in 2007, the President raised the troop level to 160,000 with his surge, and now thinks a reduction to the same pre-surge levels is progress. That is unacceptable. The American people will not be fooled by these smoke and mirror tactics.
Four years ago, the President said “mission accomplished” when Saddam Hussein was deposed. Yet we remained in Iraq. In January, the President indicated the surge would last for six months. Yet, by the President’s current timeline, the surge will last for at least 18 months. This is not a new direction in Iraq. It is more of the same.
The President said the surge was intended to provide time for the Iraqis to make political progress, yet all it has done is give President Bush more time. The Iraqis have only met 3 of the 18 benchmarks for success, and there has been no improvement in the political situation. Enough is enough.
We cannot continue to move the goalposts of success. It is unfair to our brave men and women serving in our military who have done everything we have asked them to do.
It is time for a real change in direction. It is time to redeploy our troops home and to nearby bases in the Middle East, including to Afghanistan, in an orderly, methodical, strategic and safe manner.
In the coming weeks, Republicans in Congress will have to decide whether they will continue to rubberstamp the President’s policy, or join Democrats and the vast majority of Americans demanding a new direction in Iraq and refocusing America’s efforts on fighting the real threats of terrorism around the world and capturing Osama Bin Laden.”
