Re:Iraq–Bush Wrong In Every Major Aspect, Time For Change

When I speak on the House floor on the Iraq resolution, I want to be clear: Democrats strongly support our troops in Iraq. But the level of their sacrifice has never been matched by the level of the Bush Administration’s planning. On every major aspect of the Iraq war, President Bush and his advisors have been wrong. They were wrong on the reason to go to war; wrong on the reception our troops would receive; wrong on the speed with which the Iraqi economy could finance reconstruction, and wrong on the willingness of the international community to join in efforts to stabilize Iraq.

I will continue the Democratic call for a new direction in Iraq. Our new direction will say to the Iraqi people: we will not be in your country indefinitely, we will not construct permanent bases, and we will not control the flow of your oil. We will work with you and your neighbors diplomatically to ensure that the reconstruction of Iraq is successful. We will do as Congressman Murtha advocates: we will “redeploy and be ready.”