Kucinich: Mr. President, You Are Flat Wrong [View All]

Assertions That Daily Attacks In Iraq Is “Progress” Is Just As False
And Misleading As Prewar Statements On The Threat Posed By Iraq

Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), a leader in the opposition to the war against Iraq in the House of Representatives, issued the following statement today on President Bush’s latest assertions that daily attacks against US troops and Iraqi civilians is ‘progress’ in Iraq: “The assertion by the President that daily attacks on US troops and innocent Iraqi civilians is ‘progress’ is ridiculous and just as false and misleading as his prewar statements about the threat posed to the United States by Iraq.

“Mr. President, 353 dead American troops is not progress. Thousands of American soldiers injured is not progress. And, the daily attacks on US troops and innocent Iraqi civilians is not progress.

“Today, at his press conference, the President had a chance to clarify his earlier remarks. Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity, the President did nothing more than continue his Administration’s spin.

“The President’s remarks indicate that he is either unaware or unwilling to accept the reality that America is bogged down in a quagmire. The President need not need anymore vivid reminder of this then the almost daily US casualties in Iraq.

“It is time for this President and his Administration to level with the American public. The President’s policy in Iraq has been a complete failure. It is a failure that will be bared by the American taxpayers for years to come and, it is a failure that has harmed America’s standing in the world.

“The time has come for the US to begin the process of withdrawing from Iraq and allow the UN to takeover peacekeeping operations. The daily deadly attacks are a stark reminder that the US presence in Iraq is fueling terrorist activities. It is time to get the UN in and the US out.”


(edit: restored paragraph breaks)