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“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
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Pelosi: 'President's Rigid Worldview Leads to Ever-Changing Rationalizations for Iraq War and a Growing Credibility Gap'
Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in reaction to President Bush's interview yesterday on NBC's "Meet the Press":
"With his numerous misstatements and changing rationales for the war in Iraq, President Bush's credibility gap grew yesterday during his interview on 'Meet the Press.'
"Last year, the President said the rationale for going to war in Iraq was that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and posed an 'urgent' threat to the United States. Yesterday, President Bush gave a new explanation, saying that the threat was that Saddam 'had the capacity to make a weapon and then let that weapon fall into the hands of a shadowy terrorist network.' Even with this claim, which is far below that of an imminent threat, the President still maintained that the war was one of necessity, not of choice.
"His rigid worldview has led to ever-changing rationalizations for the war and a growing credibility gap. The fact remains that the President led us into the Iraq war on the basis of unproven assertions without evidence and he embraced a radical doctrine of pre-emptive war unprecedented in our history. He failed to build a true international coalition and failed to unite the country behind his decision to go to war.
"The President’s credibility gap also widened when he responded to questions about the reception he expected American forces to receive in Iraq. He said he was not surprised by the level and intensity of the resistance, but in fact, the Administration expected to be greeted by roses, not grenades.
"Because of this miscalculation, the Administration failed to provide our troops all they needed to accomplish their mission and return home safely. American troops were deployed without sufficient inserts for their protective body armor, without sufficient numbers of armored Humvees, and without sufficient numbers of jamming devices with which to deal with improvised explosive devices. If the Administration anticipated the level and intensity of the resistance, the American people have a right to know why our troops were not adequately supplied to deal with it."
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
