Posted on 11/21/2005 6:37:23 AM PST by robowombat
"The US can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home.."
By Rep. John Murtha
The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.
General Casey said in a September 2005 Hearing, "the perception of occupation in Iraq is a major driving force behind the insurgency." General Abizaid said on the same date, "Reducing the size and visibility of the coalition forces in Iraq is a part of our counterinsurgency strategy."
For 2 1/2 years I have been concerned about the U.S. policy and the plan in Iraq. I have addressed my concerns with the Administration and the Pentagon and have spoken out in public about my concerns. The main reason for going to war has been discredited. A few days before the start of the war I was in Kuwait--the military drew a red line around Baghdad and said when U.S. forces cross that line they will be attacked by the Iraqis with Weapons of Mass Destruction--but the US forces said they were prepared. They had well trained forces with the appropriate protective gear.
We spend more money on Intelligence than all the countries in the world together, and more on Intelligence than most countries GDP. But the intelligence concerning Iraq was wrong. It is not a world intelligence failure. It is a U.S. intelligence failure and the way that intelligence was misused.
I have been visiting our wounded troops at Bethesda and Walter Reed hospitals almost every week since the beginning of the War. And what demoralizes them is going to war with not enough troops and equipment to make the transition to peace; the devastation caused by IEDs; being deployed to Iraq when their homes have been ravaged by hurricanes; being on their second or third deployment and leaving their families behind without a network of support.
The threat posed by terrorism is real, but we have other threats that cannot be ignored. We must be prepared to face all threats. The future of our military is at risk. Our military and their families are stretched thin. Many say that the Army is broken. Some of our troops are on their third deployment. Recruitment is down, even as our military has lowered its standards. Defense budgets are being cut. Personnel costs are skyrocketing, particularly in health care. Choices will have to be made. We can not allow promises we have made to our military families in terms of service benefits, in terms of their health care, to be negotiated away. Procurement programs that ensure our military dominance cannot be negotiated away. We must be prepared. The war in Iraq has caused huge shortfalls at our bases in the U.S.
Much of our ground equipment is worn out and in need of either serious overhaul or replacement. George Washington said, "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace." We must rebuild our Army. Our deficit is growing out of control. The Director of the Congressional Budget Office recently admitted to being "terrified" about the budget deficit in the coming decades. This is the first prolonged war we have fought with three years of tax cuts, without full mobilization of American industry and without a draft. The burden of this war has not been shared equally; the military and their families are shouldering this burden.
Our military has been fighting a war in Iraq for over two and a half years. Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty. Our military captured Saddam Hussein, and captured or killed his closest associates. But the war continues to intensify. Deaths and injuries are growing, with over 2,079 confirmed American deaths. Over 15,500 have been seriously injured and it is estimated that over 50,000 will suffer from battle fatigue. There have been reports of at least 30,000 Iraqi civilian deaths.
I just recently visited Anbar Province Iraq in order to assess the conditions on the ground. Last May 2005, as part of the Emergency Supplemental Spending Bill, the House included the Moran Amendment, which was accepted in Conference, and which required the Secretary of Defense to submit quarterly reports to Congress in order to more accurately measure stability and security in Iraq. We have now received two reports. I am disturbed by the findings in key indicator areas. Oil production and energy production are below pre-war levels. Our reconstruction efforts have been crippled by the security situation. Only $9 billion of the $18 billion appropriated for reconstruction has been spent. Unemployment remains at about 60 percent. Clean water is scarce. Only $500 million of the $2.2 billion appropriated for water projects has been spent. And most importantly, insurgent incidents have increased from about 150 per week to over 700 in the last year. Instead of attacks going down over time and with the addition of more troops, attacks have grown dramatically. Since the revelations at Abu Ghraib, American casualties have doubled. An annual State Department report in 2004 indicated a sharp increase in global terrorism.
I said over a year ago, and now the military and the Administration agrees, Iraq can not be won "militarily." I said two years ago, the key to progress in Iraq is to Iraqitize, Internationalize and Energize. I believe the same today. But I have concluded that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is impeding this progress.
Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces and we have become a catalyst for violence. U.S. troops are the common enemy of the Sunnis, Saddamists and foreign jihadists. I believe with a U.S. troop redeployment, the Iraqi security forces will be incentivized to take control. A poll recently conducted shows that over 80% of Iraqis are strongly opposed to the presence of coalition troops, and about 45% of the Iraqi population believe attacks against American troops are justified. I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis.
I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation. I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a "free" Iraq.
My plan calls:
To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces. To create a quick reaction force in the region. To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines. To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq
This war needs to be personalized. As I said before I have visited with the severely wounded of this war. They are suffering.
Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That's why I am speaking out.
Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME.
-Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) is a former Marine, a Vietnam Veteran and the former Chairman of the House Committee on Defense Appropriations.
Copyright © 2003 palestinechronicle.com. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners.
At least thats MY opinion.
What's the story with this????
CA....
The Palestine Chronicle | Nov 17,2005 | Rep. John Murtha
This is from their own web site, scroll down a bit.
Palestine Chronicle Honorary Editorial Board Members:
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi: Palestinian Legislator, (Palestine).
Prof. Noam Chomsky: Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, author and writer of numerous books, (United States).
Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj: Human Rights Activist, Psychiatrist, (Palestine).
Dr. Mustafa Abdul-Shafi: Palestinian Activist and Former President of Makassed Hospital, (Palestine)
Rafiq Jaber: President of the Islamic Association for Palestine in North America, (United States)
Khaled A. Al-Maeena: Editor-in-Chief of Arab News Daily, (Saudi Arabia).
Dr. Ahmed Bouzid: President of Palestine Media Watch, (United States).
Prof. Robert Jensen: Associate Professor, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin, (United States)
Charlie Reese: American Journalist (United States)
Heba Abdullah: Muslim American Journalist (United States)
This was Murtha's "John Kerry" moment, i.e. "I voted for the funding before I voted against it". It clearly indicates just how duplicitous and craven the Democrats and the MSM are, the former for quickly folding their tent and the latter for failing to report the obvious deception that was at hand.
Too, it was an amazing show of resolve on behalf of the Republican leadership who finally showed some backbone by calling for the vote, the result of which displayed the Dems for what they are: unprincipled opportunists who take delight in embarassing the President but who, when it counts, refuse to go on record.
The best part was watching Pelosi squirm and whine!
Someone needs to respond an ad along these lines:
We are advancing; the other direction is retreat.
We are driving to victory; you would change our direction toward defeat.
We want to secure a stable democracy in Iraq; your change in direction will provide terrorism a safe haven.
I was inspired Fri night by the men who vowed that their Vietnam experience would not be repeated. They have gotten no coverage. Instead,the media has gone ahead with their Murtha plan, as if that debate and vote had not happened.
THIS IS TREASONOUS! Why is this man posting his story in a Palentinian newspaper ..?? Only one reason - TO GIVE AID AND COMFORT TO OUR ENEMY.
I'm stunned! But .. I probably shouldn't be.
But .. as the author of an article .. don't you have any say about WHO PICKS UP YOUR STORY ..?? Or .. can anyone pick up what you say in one paper and print it in another without your knowledge ..??
I understand that's how TV works, but it bothers me that ANYBODY can reprint what you say.
Go to hell Murfa
Probably so, but it shows how "aid and comfort" works, doesn't it? You don't have to pull a McDermott and go visit the enemy. You just have to give him "bulletin board" material to raise the morale of his fighters. This Murtha has done and the Islamists are grateful.
In a word. WRONGO!!!
This phony is willing to murtha. We can not allow him to sway public opinion.
B-b-but I thought Murtha's proposal was different from what the full House voted on!
Okay .. I was confusing him with a columist - sorry.
[Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That's why I am speaking out.
Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME.]
Ah, the liberal left cowards with the yellow streak down their back ALWAYS want to cut and run. This cowardly lion was the same Murtha that called on Clinton to pull troops out of Somalia; a disaster that Osama Bin Laden was emboldened from and which led to the murder of 3000 Americans in New York in 2001 at a place called the twin towers, an incident that many Americans have chosen to forget until something happens again.
Pull the troops and the terrorist murderer's will be in the public school systems(remember Russia), and the underground mass transportation systems (remember Spain).
When America has backed down, millions of people have died, many our allies(remember Viet Nam and the killing fields of Cambodia caused the the cowardly liberal left wing pols).
I do.
the republicans "cut and run" in vietnam... remember.
i am so thrilled that john murtha had the guts to stand up and say what he did. he is a real american, not an echo chamber "ditto" head. i have a brother who has already served one tour in iraq and is about to go back for his second and i can tell you he doesn't support the war either but he does his job anyway because it is his duty. i wonder how many of you that post on this site really objectively look at the facts in regards to iraq. Not one single shred of evidence has proved any of the pre-war claims made by the white house. yet it is "cowardice" and "un-american" for dems to question any of this? wake up and realize that 65% of this country does not agree with most of what you people are repeating. don't trust the polls? ask people yourself, barely anybody really supports this war. my generations treasures (both human and monetary) are being squandered for what? a democratic iraq? right... even when we leave everybody knows iraq will descend into civil war. The republicans are gonna "stay the course" right out of office. God bless america!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.