Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Ninth District, IL


 

IRAQ

 

THE WAR IN IRAQ

I opposed the war in Iraq before it began and I believe it is time to begin withdrawing our troops from Iraq. We have suffered thousands of American causalities and spent billions of dollars on an unnecessary war that has not secured Iraq. While Al Qaeda had little presence in Iraq before the U.S. invasion, it is now a breeding ground for terrorists. Our continued presence in Iraq is creating targets and helping to fuel the insurgency.

President Bush led the American people to war under false pretenses. He cherry-picked intelligence, which turned out to be faulty at best, and abandoned diplomacy in order to perform a nearly unilateral invasion. The Bush Administration should be held accountable for its misinformation campaign and its misguided rush to war.

I am a founding member of the Congressional Out-of-Iraq Caucus, which is now 72 members strong. I am working with Members of Congress and organizations to push for a strategic redeployment of our troops from Iraq, so that we can turn our sights back to real and immediate threats to the United States.

 

 

JAN'S SPEECHES/EXTENSIONS ON IRAQ

(Clink on a link to read the speech or extensions)

 

Extension of Remarks on Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the

    Global War on Terror, and the Hurricane Recovery Act of 2006

 

Floor Speech on Expressing the Sense of the House That Deployment of Forces in

    Iraq Be Terminated Immediately

 

"The President Must Keep His Promise and Provide Our Troops with What They

    Need"

 

"Mistakes Made in the War with Iraq"

 

Floor Speech Expressing Opposition to War Pending in Iraq

 

Floor Speech on H. Res. 114, Authorizing for Use of Military Force Against

    Iraq Resolution

 

 

LEGISLATION

 

I am a co-sponsor of the following legislation pertaining to the War in Iraq (For a full list of Iraq-related legislation that I have cosponsored please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/):

 

H.J. Res. 73 - To redeploy U. S. Forces from Iraq (The Murtha Resolution)

 States that: (1) the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date; (2) a quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region; and (3) the United States shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.

 

H. Con. Res. 197  - A resolution prohibiting permanent military bases in Iraq

 This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States not to enter into any base agreement with the Government of Iraq that would lead to a permanent United States military presence in Iraq.

 

H.R. 4232- The End the War in Iraq Act

Introduced by Representative Jim McGovern, this bill would end all additional funding to continue the war in Iraq.  Department of Defense funds would still be made available for: The safe and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq; Consultations with other governments, the UN, and NATO regarding international forces to ensure Iraqi security and transition to democratic rule; and For contributions of money and equipment (but not personnel) to Iraqi security forces and/or international forces to ensure Iraqi security and transition to democratic rule.  The legislation also clarifies that it does not prohibit or restrict non-Defense funding to carry out social and economic reconstruction (for example, funds provided by State Department, USAID, USDA, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Commerce, EPA, etc.).

 

H. Con. Res. 348 - Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to accomplishing the mission in Iraq

This resolution states that: The United States should not maintain a permanent military presence or military bases in Iraq; The United States should not attempt to control the flow of Iraqi oil; and The United States Armed Forces should be redeployed from Iraq as soon as practicable after the complete of Iraq’s constitution making process or September 30, 2006, whichever occurs first.

 

Discharge Petition Number 109-6

I have signed House Discharge Petition Number 109-6, a petition which would force a debate in the House of Representatives on the Iraq war.  All Americans deserve an open and honest debate on the future of U.S. policy in Iraq, especially our brave troops.  This debate is long overdue.  If Speaker Dennis Hastert and the Republican leadership accept this discharge petition, it would provide Members of Congress up to 17 hours of debate with the time equally divided between Republicans and Democrats.  While our troops, the American people and the citizens of Iraq deserve more than 17 hours of debate on this critical issue, it would be a long overdue start. 


PRE-WAR INTELLIGENCE

(July 12, 2004) Speaking today in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, President Bush “defended his decision to invade Iraq even as he conceded on Monday that investigators had not found the weapons of mass destruction that he had warned the country possessed.”  President Bush said that he “had a choice to make: either take the word of a madman or defend America. Given that choice I will defend America.”

However, according to the Center for Americans Progress, the Bush Administration ignored intelligence information from U.S. and international sources about the true extent of the Iraqi threat.  According to the Center:

In February of 2003, a CIA report on proliferation said the intelligence community had "no 'direct evidence' that Iraq has succeeded in reconstituting its biological, chemical, nuclear or long-range missile programs in the two years since U.N. weapons inspectors left and U.S. planes bombed Iraqi facilities." Inspectors repeatedly told the UN Security Council they could not find evidence of weapons in Iraq and the IAEA warned Bush it had "found no evidence of ongoing prohibited nuclear or nuclear-related activities in Iraq." 

(Click for Full Misstatement)


SCHAKOWSKY:  THERE IS NO ROOM FOR U.S.-HIRED PARAMILITARIES & MERCENARIES IN AN 
INTERROGATION CELL

RENEWS CALL FOR SUSPENSION OF CONTRACTS WITH PRIVATE FIRMS CONDUCTING INTERROGATION AT IRAQI AND AFGHANI PRISONS FOLLOWING INDICTMENT OF CIA CONTRACTOR

(June 17, 2004) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the indictment of a CIA contractor for the death of prisoner in Afghanistan, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today renewed her call for the Bush Administration to immediately suspend all contracts with private firms conducting interrogations of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

(Click for Full Statment)


SADDAM HUSSEIN – AL QAEDA LINK

(June 16, 2004) Even though this claim has been widely refuted, President Bush stood firm by his assertion that there was, in fact, a relationship between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda.  President Bush said:

“Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection to al Qaeda affiliates and al Qaeda. He’s the person who’s still killing. He’s the person -- and remember the email exchange between al Qaeda leadership and he, himself, about how to disrupt the progress toward freedom?” [Bush Remarks, 6/15/04]

Vice President Cheney repeated the same claim.  He said: “In Iraq, Saddam Hussein was in power, overseeing one of the bloodiest regimes of the 20th century… He had long established ties with al Qaeda.” [VP Cheney, Orlando, FL, 6/14/04]

Today, however, CNN reported: The panel investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks found that there was "no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States…”

(Click for Full Misstatement)


COST OF IRAQI WAR

(June 8, 2004) President Bush today said that he was “delighted” with the way things are going at the United Nations and that he expects “nations to contribute as they see fit” to the efforts in Iraq.  (Fox News, 6/8/04)

However, President Bush has failed to acknowledge that a majority of American taxpayers are not “delighted” because they are bearing the financial burden for the war in Iraq.  

(Click for Full Misstatement)


 

THE COST OF WAR IN IRAQ

(May 5, 2004) According to news reports today, the Bush administration “will ask Congress for an additional $25 billion for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Republican congressional aides said Wednesday, a change from the White House's earlier plans to not request such money until after the November elections…” (AP, 5/5/04)

However, “White House budget director Joshua Bolten said earlier this year that the administration will eventually need more money beyond the $87 billion Congress authorized for this budget year, which ends Sept. 30.  But Bolten said the administration would not request it this year, meaning such a multibillion-dollar appeal would come after the November election.” (AP, 4/21/04)

Prior to the war in Iraq and during the early months of the conflict, Bush Administration officials refused to acknowledge that the war and reconstruction efforts would cost hundreds of billions of dollars.

(Read Full Misstatement)

Read Past Quotes on the Cost of War from Administration Officials


Article: 5/5/2004 Prison Scandal Indicates Gap in U.S. Chain of Command Washington Post


SCHAKOWSKY CALLS ON PRESIDENT BUSH TO SUSPEND CONTRACTS WITH PRIVATE MILITARY FIRMS INVOLVED IN SUPERVISION, SECURITY AND INTERROGATION OF IRAQI PRISONERS

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (May 4, 2004) Following reports that private civilian contractors remain on the job even after being involved in the illegal abuse of Iraqi detainees, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a Chief Deputy Whip, called on President Bush to immediately suspend all contracts with private military firms involved in the supervision, security or interrogation of Iraqi prisoners.

 

(Click for Full Statement)


►Transcript: 4/27/2004 U.S. Troop Protection CNN - Lou Dobbs Tonight


SCHAKOWSKY REACTS TO REPORT SUGGESTING THAT THE DEATH OF
“ONE IN FOUR” SOLDIERS IN IRAQ
COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

CHICAGO, IL – (Apr. 26, 2004) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chief Deputy Whip, today issued the following statement after Newsweek reported “…that perhaps one in four of those killed in combat in Iraq might be alive if they had had stronger armor around them… Thousands more who were unprotected have suffered grievous wounds, such as the loss of limbs.”  (Newsweek, 5/3/04)

“A tragic mistake in planning may have led to hundreds of US soldiers dying in Iraq, a mistake the President might have cited as he struggled for an example in his prime time news conference two weeks ago. Now that it appears that this war was a long time in the planning, it is all the more shocking that the troops were unnecessarily put at extreme risk..."

(Click for Full Statement)


“Mistakes Accomplished” by President Bush – Sending Soldiers into Iraq Without Lifesaving Equipment

Schakowsky's Floor Statement

(Apr. 20, 2004) ...We are finding out now that the President and his advisers and Cabinet were thinking about this war in Iraq for a very long time. And yet here is an AP story from March 26 of this year. It says soldiers headed for Iraq are still buying their own body armor. In many cases their families are buying it for them despite assurances from the military that the gear will be in hand before they are in harm's way...

(Click for Full Statement)


►Article: 4/19/2004 Schakowsky Slams Bush, Iraq Policy The Daily Northwestern


SCHAKOWSKY: ONE YEAR LATER, IRAQ WAR REMAINS UNJUST AND UNJUSTIFIED

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Mar. 17, 2004) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today issued the following statement during a news conference on Capitol Hill on the one-year anniversary of the Iraq war:
“After one year, hundreds of American soldiers are dead because President Bush sent them to battle a regime that he called an ‘urgent threat’ that ‘has developed weapons of mass destruction’ and that ‘… is seeking nuclear weapons...’

 

(Click for Full Statement)


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY – IRAQ WAR INTELLIGENCE

 

(Feb. 17, 2004) During his weekly radio address, President Bush said on Saturday, February 14, 2004:

The best intelligence is necessary to win the war on terror and to stop proliferation. (President Bush, 2/14/04)
 

However, evidence is growing that in fact the Bush Administration did not use the “best intelligence” while making its case for war with Iraq. An editorial in today’s New York Times titled “Distorting the Intelligence” states:
 

"In making its case for war, the administration leapt well beyond the battlefield chemical weapons that Iraq had used in the past and repeatedly raised the specter that Iraqi nuclear and biological weapons might cause truly enormous casualties. Top officials warned that Saddam Hussein might use these terrifying weapons against the American homeland, either by providing them to terrorists or by firing biological weapons directly from points offshore. In making such claims, the administration went beyond the intelligence consensus in important areas..." (Full Misstatement)


 

SCHAKOWSKY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT LONG TERM DETENTION
OF IRAQI JUVENILES ABSENCE
OF FORMAL CHARGES

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Feb. 12, 2004) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today expressed her concern about the long term detention of 13,000 Iraqis, including juveniles, without being formally charged, adding that this policy “further aggravates distrust of our troops” thus putting them in greater danger. 

 

(Click for Full Statement)


 

Schakowsky: Only an Independent Commission would Establish if the President Manipulated Intelligence to Justify

War with Iraq

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Feb. 6, 2004) “President Bush’s handpicked commission with its narrow focus is unacceptable and an insult to the millions of Americans demanding to know the truth..."

(Click for Statement)


Bush Administration’s Misstatement of the Day –
IRAQ and Imminent Threat

(Feb. 5, 2004) In a speech defending pre-war intelligence at Georgetown University and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet announced that his analysts never claimed that Iraq posed an imminent threat.” 

 

However, the Bush Administration justified the war with Iraq to the American people because Iraq posed an imminent security threat to our nation.  According to a report compiled by the Center for American Progress, the Administration's efforts to claim it never hyped the threat in the lead-up to war is belied by its statements:

 

"There's no question that Iraq was a threat to the people of the United States."

 

- White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan, 8/26/03

 

"We ended the threat from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction."

 

- President Bush, 7/17/03

 

Iraq was "the most dangerous threat of our time."

 

- White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 7/17/03

 

"Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to the United States because we removed him, but he was a threat...He was a threat. He's not a threat now."

 

- President Bush, 7/2/03

 

"Absolutely."

 

- White House spokesman Ari Fleischer answering whether Iraq was an "imminent threat," 5/7/03

 

(Click for Full Misstatement)


SCHAKOWSKY REACTS TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S ANNOUNCEMENT ON NAMING COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE PRE-WAR INTELLIGENCE ON IRAQ

(Jan. 2, 2004) “Unable to continue to resist mounting pressure to answer truthfully why the United States went to war, President Bush was forced to act.  Unfortunately, President Bush’s response is completely inadequate.  What is required is an independent commission created by Congress, not by the White House political machine..."

(Click for Full Statement)

Congressional Leaders Call for Truly Independent Review of Iraq Intelligence

(Letter to President Bush)


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
UN WEAPONS INSPECTORS IN IRAQ

(Jan. 28, 2004) On January 27, 2004, President Bush said, “"Iraq did not let [inspectors] in."  
 
However, according to the U.S. State Department, U.N. weapons inspectors entered Iraq on November 27th, 2002.  

CBS News reported on March 18, 2003 that “U.N. weapons inspectors climbed aboard a plane and pulled out of Iraq on Tuesday after President Bush issued a final ultimatum for Saddam Hussein to step down or face war.”  

Finally, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on April 4, 2003 “The United States will not permit United Nations weapons inspectors to return to Iraq, saying the US military has taken over the role of searching for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.”

(Click for Full Misstatement)

 


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY -

 IRAQ AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
 

(Jan. 26, 2004) Dr. David Kay, who resigned as head of the U.S. team in charge of  locating Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, said today in a New York Times interview:

"I'm personally convinced that there were not large stockpiles of newly produced weapons of mass destruction. We don't find the people, the documents or the physical plants that you would expect to find if the production was going on.  I think they [Iraq] gradually reduced stockpiles throughout the 1990's. Somewhere in the mid-1990's, the large chemical overhang of existing stockpiles was eliminated." (New York Times, 1/26/04)

The statement by Dr. Kay, an international expert on weapons inspection, directly contradicts President Bush and members of his cabinet, who used the threat of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction as the reason for going to war.  However, while justifying the war in Iraq, President Bush said during this year's State of the Union that the United States has “…identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities.”  But before the war, President Bush and members of his Administration did in fact state that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction:

  • “We believe Saddam has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.” – Vice President Cheney (NBC “Meet the Press,” 3/16/03)  

  • “There can be no doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to rapidly produce more, many more…Our conservative estimate is that Iraq today has a stockpile of between 100 and 500 tons of chemical weapons agent. That is enough agent to fill 16,000 battlefield rockets.” – Secretary of State Colin Powell (Address before UN Security Council, 2/5/03)   

  • “Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.” – President Bush (State of the Union Address, 1/28/03)  

  • “Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.  There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.” –Vice President Cheney (Speech to VFW 103rd National Convention, 8/26/02)

(Click for Full Misstatement)


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY -

VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY AND IRAQ

(Jan. 22, 2004) President Bush proclaimed on 5/29/03 during an interview with TVP, Poland:  “We found the weapons of mass destruction.”  And earlier that year, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld stated during a nationally televised interview, “We know where the [WMD] are.” (ABC “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” 3/30/03)

However, in an interview with National Public Radio today, Vice President Cheney said about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq: “It's going to take some additional, considerable period of time in order to look in all the cubby holes and the ammo dumps and all the places in Iraq where you might expect to find something like that.”

(Click for Full Misstatement)

Vice President Cheney's Latest Distortions


 

►Article: 1/12/2004
Army War College Study Blasts U.S. War on Terrorism

Reuters


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY – WAR IN IRAQ

 Pre-War Intelligence:

 (Jan 12, 2004) Two days before the war, President Bush addressed the nation.  He said on March 17, 2003: 

“Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.” 

(President Bush, 3/17/03)

 

However, former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, who served on the Bush Cabinet for two years and was a permanent member of the National Security Council (NSC), said:  

"In the 23 months I was there, I never saw anything that I would characterize as evidence of weapons of mass destruction,'' Secretary O'Neill to Time magazine. (Chicago Sun-Times, “O'Neill: Bush lacked Iraq weapons proof,” 1/12/03)

Planning for War with Iraq:

President Bush stated on March 17, 2003:

“America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully.”  

And on March 19, 2003, the day the war began, President Bush declared: 

“Our nation enters this conflict reluctantly.”

Former Treasury Secretary O’Neill, however, contradicts the Bush Administration claims.  In a 60 Minutes interview (1/11/04), Secretary O’Neill stated that during President Bush’s first NSC meeting “… going after Saddam was topic “A” 10 days after the inauguration - eight months before Sept. 11”.  

(Click for Full Misstatement)


 

IRAQ AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

 

(Jan. 5, 2004) President Bush and members of his Administration justified the war as necessary to protect the American people against Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. So far, none has been found. (Bush Administration Misstatement of the Day, December 17, 2003)

 
Now, it seems that that Bush Administration is deliberately attempting to change the reasons given by the Administration for going to war in Iraq. The following was reported in the Financial Times (12/29/03):

History, he [Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority] said, would record that the US and UK had done a "great thing relieving these [Iraqi] people of an evil tyranny" rather than judge them on "details" such as weapons of mass destruction.

(Click for Full Misstatement)


►Article: 12/19/2003
Rumsfeld Visited Baghdad in 1984 to Reassure Iraqis, Documents Show

The Washington Post


 

“FACTS” ABOUT IRAQ’S WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

(Dec. 17, 2003) In today’s Washington Post Vice President Dick Cheney criticized what he considers a proliferation of "cheap shot journalism" about the administration. "People don't check the facts," he said.

Previously, however, Bush Administration officials have stated:

  • “We know where the [WMD] are.” – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, (ABC “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” 3/30/03) 

  • “We believe Saddam has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.” – Vice President Cheney (NBC “Meet the Press,” 3/16/03) 

  • “Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction.  There is no doubt that he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us.” –Vice President Cheney (Speech to VFW 103rd National Convention, 8/26/02)

(Click for Full Misstatement)

Read the following Misstatements of the Day relating to pre-war intelligence claims by the Bush Administration:  


 

STATEMENT OF U.S. REPRESENTATIVE SCHAKOWSKY FOLLOWING CAPTURE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN BY U.S. TROOPS

 

EVANSTON, IL – (Dec. 14, 2003)  “Like everyone, I am happy that Saddam Hussein is in captivity.  I congratulate our troops, our special forces, all those who were responsible for his capture.

 

“It remains to be seen if the situation in Iraq fundamentally changes: the chaos, the lack of security, political instability, the danger to our troops.  I suspect it will not..." (Continue to Full Statement)

 

►Editorial: 12/15/2003
The Capture of Saddam
The Capital Times

 


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
SUPPORT FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ

 

(Dec. 9, 2003) White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said on CNN (12/7/03):
 

“…we've got tremendous men and women wearing the uniform of the United States fighting to beat back terrorists and to secure the hopes and dreams of the Iraqi people.”


However, while the Administration claims to support the troops serving in Iraq, today’s Chicago Tribune editorial asks why the Bush Administration has failed to provide soldiers with a critical piece of equipment that could save their life -- up-to-date Interceptor body armor:
 

How could a government that spends as much on defense as the rest of the world combined fail to allocate enough money for something so basic and critical as this? (Chicago Tribune, 12/9/03)

(Click for Full Misstatement)


 

PRE WAR INTELLIGENCE IN IRAQ

 

(Dec. 1, 2003) According to a Washington Post article published on November 29, 2003:

The Bush administration's strategies of using preemption or preventing countries from obtaining weapons of mass destruction "depend critically on reliable intelligence on highly technical matters," wrote physicist David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security and a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
 

In the fall of 2002, while polls were showing that the U.S. public and Congress were not convinced of the case for invading Iraq, administration spokesmen including Vice President Cheney and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice were making statements that the tubes were for nuclear weapons.
 

Such statements, Albright wrote, were made before a fierce debate within the intelligence community over whether Iraq intended to use them for rockets or centrifuges. The issue was decided in October 2002 by a vote in which those intelligence agencies with "no technical [centrifuge] expertise outnumbered those that did," according to Albright.
(Click for Full Misstatement)


►Article: 11/23/2003
Returning Troops Left High and Dry
Chicago Tribune


BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
U.S. CONTRACTORS IN IRAQ

 

(Nov. 5, 2003) Responding to a report by the Center on Public Integrity, which found that President Bush received $500,000 for his 2000 election campaign from contractors now performing work in Iraq, a State Department spokesman said:

There's a separation, a wall, between them (career civil servants) and political-level questions when they're doing the contracts.” (New York Times, 10/31/03)

However, the Center’s report stated:

"More than 70 American companies and individuals have won up to $8 billion in contracts for work in postwar Iraq and Afghanistan over the last two years… Those companies contributed more money to the presidential campaign of George W. Bush—more than $500,000—than to any other politician over the last dozen years."

(Click for Full Misstatement)


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION EFFORT

 

(Nov. 4, 2003) (President) Bush said that despite the continuing violence in Iraq progress is being made to rebuild the country and get it back on its feet. (Dow Jones News Service, 11/04/03)


The New York Times Magazine, however, published a lengthy report on the failures of US reconstruction efforts in Iraq.  The story concluded:

"The real lesson of the postwar mess is that while occupying and reconstructing Iraq was bound to be difficult, the fact that it may be turning into a quagmire is not a result of fate, but rather (as quagmires usually are) a result of poor planning and wishful thinking. Both have been in evidence to a troubling degree in American policy almost from the moment the decision was made to overthrow Saddam Hussein's bestial dictatorship."

(Click for Full Misstatement)


 

BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
PREWAR INTELLIGENCE

 

(Oct. 24, 2003) The intelligence was sometimes "sloppy" and inconclusive, according to Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. (Washington Post, 10/24/03)

“Our intelligence officials estimate that Saddam Hussein had the materials to produce as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent.”  –President Bush (State of the Union Address, 1/28/03)

(Click for Full Misstatement)


BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
PROGRESS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

 

(Oct. 23, 2003) In a surprisingly honest assessment of the U.S. efforts and progress in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wrote in a memorandum to senior staff at the Pentagon that was leaked to the media:

It is pretty clear that the coalition can win in Afghanistan and Iraq in one way or another, but it will be a long, hard slog.” (Associated Press, 10/23/03)

However, the Associated Press reported on October, 12, 2003:

President Bush on Saturday offered a portrait of Iraq as a country where life is returning to normal after war, insisting that “Iraq is making progress” despite a steady drumbeat of bad news. Bush said that progress was coming as a result of his “clear strategy.”  (Click for Full Statement)

 


 

SCHAKOWSKY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM BUSH ADMINISTRATION
 

(Oct. 21, 2003)

 

PERSONALLY DELIVERS LETTER TO DEFENSE SECRETARY RUMSFELD ON COST OF WAR IN IRAQ, TREATMENT OF U.S. TROOPS, AND IRAQI CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

 

(Click for Schakowsky's Letter)


SCHAKOWSKY REFUSES TO GIVE PRESIDENT BUSH ANOTHER
$87 BILLION BLANK CHECK FOR FAILED POLICY IN IRAQ

(Oct. 16, 2003) "...I am joining the growing number of Democrats and the majority of Americans who say that without accountability, without a plan, and without a guarantee that the troops will finally get what they need, we will not hand over $87 billion to the Bush Administration..."

(Continue to Full Statement)

 


 

Misstatement of the Day - TROOP MORALE IN IRAQ

 

(Oct. 16, 2003) According to a Washington Post article (Many Troops Dissatisfied, Iraq Poll Finds,10/16/03):

A broad survey of U.S. troops in Iraq by a Pentagon-funded newspaper found that half of those questioned described their unit's morale as low and their training as insufficient, and said they do not plan to reenlist.

 

The survey, conducted by the Stars and Stripes newspaper, also recorded about a third of the respondents complaining that their mission lacks clear definition and characterizing the war in Iraq as of little or no value. Fully 40 percent said the jobs they were doing had little or nothing to do with their training…In the survey, 34 percent described their morale as low, compared with 27 percent who described it as high and 37 percent who said it was average; 49 percent described their unit's morale as low, while 16 percent called it high.
 

It was also reported in the same article:
In recent days, the Bush administration has launched a campaign to blame the news media for portraying the situation in Iraq in a negative light. Last week, Bush described the military spirit as high and said that life in Iraq is "a lot better than you probably think. Just ask people who have been there."

(Continue to Full Statement)


SCHAKOWSKY: NON-PARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH SERVICE FINDS NO NEED FOR EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS FOR U.S. ARMY OPERATIONS AND PERSONNEL IN IRAQ

(Oct. 15, 2003) WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today said that according to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS), there is no immediate need for Congress to pass an emergency supplemental appropriations bill for military operations in Iraq.

“President Bush and the Republican leadership can no longer blackmail members of Congress into voting for an $87 billion blank check for the Bush Administration in the name of our brave soldiers. The non-partisan CRS report is proof that the Bush Administration has enough money to support our troops without yet another emergency funding bill from Congress...” (Continue to Full Statement)

CRS Document: Availability of Army Funds Without Immediate Supplemental Appropriations (.pdf file)  (FROM: Stephen Daggett - Specialist in National Defense Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division)

 
  • Use the Following Links to View Rep. Schakowsky's Recent Floor Statements on Iraq (Includes Letters from Constituents Read on the House Floor)

(Links will open in a new window.)

CONSTITUENTS EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ON PRESIDENT'S REQUEST FOR $87 BILLION SUPPLEMENTAL -- (House of Representatives - October 01, 2003)  

LETTERS FROM CONSTITUENTS -- (House of Representatives - October 07, 2003)


SCHAKOWSKY: BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
SUPPORT FOR U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ

(Oct 14, 2003) Commenting on President Bush’s decision to grant exclusive interviews to five regional broadcasters as part of the White House’s public relations campaign to defend its failed policy in Iraq, Communications Director Dan Bartlett said:

We believe local media and regional broadcasters are more interested in letting viewers or readers see or hear what the president has to say.” (Washington Post, Bush Courts Regional Media, 10/14/03)

However, an Associated Press story, which was printed in local newspapers across the country, reported on a topic that President Bush failed to address during his local media tour: Shortage of body of armor for troops serving in Iraq:

"About one-quarter of the 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still have not been issued a new type of ceramic body armor strong enough to stop bullets fired from assault rifles... Delays in funding, production and shipping mean it will be December before all troops in Iraq will have the vests, which were introduced four years ago, military officials say." (AP story in Chicago Tribune, 10/14/03)

Troops Short on Body Armor - Lifesaving Vests Hit by U.S. Delays (AP Article 10/14/03)


SCHAKOWSKY: BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
SUPPORT FOR U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ

Commenting on President Bush’s decision to grant exclusive interviews to five regional broadcasters as part of the White House’s public relations campaign to defend its failed policy in Iraq, Communications Director Dan Bartlett said:

We believe local media and regional broadcasters are more interested in letting viewers or readers see or hear what the president has to say.” (Washington Post, Bush Courts Regional Media, 10/14/03)

However, an Associated Press story, which was printed in local newspapers across the country, reported on a topic that President Bush failed to address during his local media tour: Shortage of body of armor for troops serving in Iraq:

"About one-quarter of the 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still have not been issued a new type of ceramic body armor strong enough to stop bullets fired from assault rifles... Delays in funding, production and shipping mean it will be December before all troops in Iraq will have the vests, which were introduced four years ago, military officials say." (AP story in Chicago Tribune, 10/14/03)

Troops Short on Body Armor - Lifesaving Vests Hit by U.S. Delays (AP Article 10/14/03)


Schakowsky: Bush Administration's Misstatement of the Day – 
Number of U.S. Military Personnel in Iraq

(Oct. 9, 2003) Earlier this year, then Army's chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki, said that the occupation would require several hundred thousand soldiers. According to USA Today (6/2/03):

[Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz criticized the Army's chief of staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki, after Shinseki told Congress in February that the occupation could require "several hundred thousand troops." Wolfowitz called Shinseki's estimate "wildly off the mark.

While the Washington Post reported today:

…he [Wolfowitz] lauded Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, with whom he clashed publicly last spring about the likely size of the U.S. occupation force that would be needed in postwar Iraq. When Shinseki left office as Army chief of staff in June, neither Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld nor Wolfowitz attended his retirement ceremony, a breach of protocol that raised eyebrows across the service.” (Defense Official Moves to Ease Strained Relations With Army, 10/9/03)
(Click for Full Statement)


Schakowsky Announces Opposition to President Bush's Request
for an Additional $87 Billion for His Failed Policy in Iraq

(Oct. 9, 2003) WASHINGTON, D.C. - "...We want the American people to know, in no uncertain terms, that there are Democrats willing to stand up against this reckless and dangerous Administration, and we want to reassure our colleagues that if they join us in voting no, they will not stand alone.”

(Click for Full Statement)


Schakowsky: Bush Administration's Misstatement of the Day –
Progress in Iraq

(Oct. 8, 2003)  Reporting on the public relations offensive the Bush Administration is about to undertake to defend its Iraq policy, the Washington Post today quoted a senior administration official as saying: “This will be a sustained effort to talk to the nation about the progress we are making.”  Another administration official said in the same story: “We want to make sure the American people and the members of Congress know that their money is being well spent.”  

However, the Bush Administration is not making progress to ensure that U.S. soldiers receive the equipment they need even though the Administration is spending $1 billion a week in Iraq.   

According to an op-ed in The Alameda Times Star (10/5/03) by Jonathan Turley, some soldiers were given “Vietnam-era flak jacket that cannot stop the type of weapons used today. It appears that parents across the country are now purchasers of body armor because of the failure of the military to supply soldiers with modern vests.”

(Please Click for Full Statement and Additional Information)


SCHAKOWSKY: BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
IRAQI NUCLEAR WEAPONS

(Oct. 7, 2003) During a television appearance shortly before the war began, Vice President Cheney said:

We believe he [Saddam Hussein] has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons.” March 16, 2003, during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.

However, according to a Washington Post article (10/5/03) about the interim report by U.S. weapons inspector David Kay, “…Kay estimated it would have taken Iraq five to seven years to reconstitute its nuclear program."

(Click for Full Statement and Additional Information)


Schakowsky's Statement Following Failure of U.S. to Find WMDs in Iraq

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Oct. 2, 2003) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) issued the following statement on the failure of David Kay, head of the 1200 person U.S. inspection team, to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:

“President Bush forced our nation to war based on an immediate threat that did not exist.  President Bush’s weapons inspector, David Kay, confirmed that sad reality today when he announced that he has not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq..." (Click for Full Statement)

Document: Claim vs. Fact: Pre-War Assertions Compared to David Kay's Report


Schakowsky Reacts to President Bush's Speech to the UN on Iraq

(Sept. 23, 2003) During his address before the United Nations on Tuesday, September 23, 2003, President Bush said: 
 
“The regime of Saddam Hussein cultivated ties to terror while it built weapons of mass destruction.” And “Iraq [is] the central front in the war on terror.”

Schakowsky said, “The case for war in Iraq presented by President Bush to the world and to the people of the United States is neither supported by evidence nor facts.  Where are the weapons of mass destruction?  Where is the link to Al Qaeda?  The American people and the world are waiting for the truth.”

(Continue to Full Statement)

Read: CLAIMS & FACTS -- Rhetoric, Reality and the War in Iraq. 

(A report prepared by Produced by the Center for American Progress)

 


SCHAKOWSKY: BUSH ADMINISTRATION’S MISSTATEMENT OF THE DAY –
IRAQ - AL QAEDA CONNECTION

(Sept. 22, 2003) In a March 19, 2003 letter to Congress, President Bush declared that diplomacy alone cannot solve the situation in Iraq and that he was authorized to use force against “nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.” 

However, on 9/17/03, President Bush finally admitted: 

No, we've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th.” (Bush Disavows Hussein-Sept. 11 Link; Administration Has Been Vague on Issue, but President Says No Evidence Found. Washington Post, 9/18/03)

(Continue to Full Statement)


Bush Administration Misled Americans About Threat Posed by Iraqi Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Sept. 10, 2003) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today said that the Bush Administration misled the American people and exaggerated the threat posed by Iraqi unmanned aerial vehicles (UVAs).  (Continue to Press Release)

The Wall Street Journal article (9/10/03) titled: Air Force Doubts Drone Threat.  Report Says Bush Exaggerated Perils of Unmanned Iraqi Aircraft

Article: 09/03/2003
Schakowsky: Investigate Whether Bush Distorted the Case for War

The News-Star


Schakowsky, Colleagues Call  for Release of Pentagon Report    Blaming Failures in Iraq on Bush Administration Poor Planning

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Sept 10, 2003) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Chief Deputy Whip, joined her colleagues at a news conference today to demand the release of a secret Pentagon report, which blames the Bush Administration’s poor planning for failures in post war Iraq. (Continue to Statement

►Schakowsky, colleagues introduce resolution to force release of Pentagon report . (09/08/2003)      (Continue to Press Release)

Schakowsky Also Applauds Congressman Obey’s Call on President Bush To “Allow” Secretary Rumsfeld to Return to the Private Sector. 

(Read Rep. Obey’s Letter to President Bush)


Families of Soldiers Serving in Iraq Join Schakowsky to Demand The Truth

CHICAGO, IL – (August 28, 2003) U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today applauded the courage of military families and those ordinary Americans who are demanding answers from President Bush about whether his administration exaggerated or manipulated evidence to bolster its case for war against Iraq. (Continue to Press Release)

Jan's Statement from Today's News Conference (August 28, 2003)

Summary of H.R. 2625, Bill to Create Independent Commission

Exaggerations by Bush Administration

CNN Interview with Jan and Military Families (August 28, 2003)

 


NEW: Hundreds of Thousands of Ordinary Americans Have Singed a MoveOn.org Petition Calling on Congress to “support an independent commission to investigate the Bush administration's distortion of evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.'' 

The Petition Signers Didn’t’ Stop There:  They Sent Thousand of Letters Urging Members of Congress to Support the Independent Commission.  

Schakowsky and Her Colleagues Are Making Sure that Every Member of Congress Hears that Message Loud and Clear by Reading Letters on the Floor Every Night. 

Click on the Following for Floor Speeches:

[ July 15, 2003]       [July 21, 2003]


Floor Statement by Representative Jan Schakowsky on March 5th, 2003:

"This great Nation, whose power and hegemony is not disputed, can assert its leadership without the terrible destruction of a preemptive all-out war.  We are on the brink of the first war in history started by the United States against a country that has not threatened violence against the United States. We are on the brink of implementing a new policy of preemptive war, and ushering in not a new world order but a world of unprecedented disorder."...(continue)


Schakowsky Reacts to Latest White House Claims on Iraq Weapons of Mass Destruction

Washington, D.C. (July 22, 2003) - "On the day when news about Iraq is dominated by the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons and the safe return home of Private Jessica Lynch, the importance of White House advisors admitting that the President misled the American people should not go unnoticed...." (continue to statement)


Schakowsky: President Bush Finally Admits He Misled The Nation During State of the Union Address

CHICAGO, IL (July 8, 2003) – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today issued the following statement after the White House finally admitted that President Bush should not have claimed in his State of the Union address that Iraq attempted to buy uranium in Africa to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program ...(continue)

Article: 07/08/2003                                                                                                                 Dems Urge Probe of Iraqi Uranium Claim
AP Online

Article: 07/10/2003                                                                                                                 Questioning the Case for War
Chicago Tribune Editorial


Schakowsky Joins Efforts for Truth on WMD

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 4th, 2003) – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today joined U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and others in calling on the Bush Administration to release evidence about claims made by the President relating to Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.  The members announced plans to introduce a Resolution of Inquiry to compel the Administration to justify its action...(continue)  

Text of Resolution

Article: 06/11/2003
Where Are Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction?
CNN: CROSSFIRE

Article: 06/06/2003
Prescription Drug Deal Nearing?; Congress Questions U.S. Intelligence on Iraq
CNN: JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS


Schakowsky Honors Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day

CHICAGO, IL (May 26th, 2003) – On this Memorial Day, we somberly celebrate the lives of a new generation of fallen heroes and honor American soldiers who paid the ultimate price in battle.  We offer our gratitude as a small measure of comfort to the families of the young American men and women who will not be returning home from Afghanistan or Iraq...(continue

Article: 05/29/2003
Legislator pushing for $90 billion veterans package
The Daily Herald


Schakowsky: President Bush Should Reconsider Services of Richard Perle

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 24th, 2003) – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and a Chief Deputy Whip, said President Bush should reconsider the services of Richard Perle.  Perle, who is chairman of the Defense Policy Board and a central figure in the Bush Administration’s policy on Iraq, was hired by Global Crossing to persuade the Defense Department to drop its objection to the sale of the company to buyers in Hong Kong and Singapore...(continue)

Related Articles/Editorials:

Editorial: 03/24/03
Richard Perle's Conflict
The New York Times

Article: 03/21/03
Pentagon Adviser Is Also Advising Global Crossing
The New York Times


Schakowsky Expresses Deep Gratitude For Service Men and Women, But Cannot Support Resolution Unequivocally Endorsing War in Iraq

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 20th, 2003) –Each and every word of praise and support for our troops in this Resolution, I wholeheartedly endorse.  As a mother, every expression of gratitude and prayer for their families, I embrace.  But as one who believes that this pre-emptive war that puts these brave patriots in harm’s way is unwise and unnecessary, I cannot, in good conscience, support a resolution that ‘unequivocally’ endorses that action...(continue)


Schakowsky: United States Can Assert its Leadership Without the Terrible Destruction of a Preemptive All-Out War in Iraq

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5th, 2003) -- Mr. Speaker, I came to the House floor because I felt that I needed to come down here and speak before this body about my opposition to the war that seems to be pending in Iraq.  I come to the floor today to say that war is not inevitable; that this great Nation, whose power and hegemony is not disputed, can assert its leadership without the terrible destruction of a preemptive all-out war...(continue


Members of Congress to President Bush: "Make Every Attempt to Achieve Iraq's Disarmament Through Diplomatic Means and With the Full Support of Our Allies”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 24th, 2003) – Members of Congress called on President Bush to “…make every attempt to achieve Iraq's disarmament through diplomatic means and with the full support of our allies, in accordance with the process articulated in UN Security Council resolution 1441.”...(continue)

THE WAR IN IRAQ:

The Costs


Update: Senate Report

   Shows No Iraq-Al Qaeda

   Link

 

Daily Update on the

   Casualties of Iraq War

 

War in Iraq Costs

   (live running total)

 

Cost of Iraq War for

   Illinois

 

Jan's Press releases/Statements on The war in iraq


Schakowsky Blasts GOP For Unwillingness to Hold Military Security Contractors Accountable

 

Schakowsky Criticizes Republican Leadership for Stripping Provision that Would Have Banned U.S. from Establishing Permanent Bases in Iraq 

 

Schakowsky Asks Bush to Certify That Administration is Obeying Law, Not Arming Human Rights Violators in Iraq  

 

Schakowsky Amendment on Military Contractor Oversight Included in Defense Bill

 

Schakowsky Calls on Bush to Explain How Private Military Contractors in Iraq Are Being Held Accountable

 

Lee-Schakowsky Amendment to Prevent Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq Passes U.S. House

 

Schakowsky Statement on President Bush's Failed Iraq Strategy

(Click here for more press releases)