Nadler Opposes Bush Escalation aka ‘Surge’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08) strongly condemns President Bush’s plan to send more troops into Iraq as part of an escalation of the conflict. Rep. Nadler is urging Congress to pass legislation whereby appropriated funds can only be used to protect the troops or bring them home. His statement on the House floor yesterday:

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, what a deaf President we have. The American people told him loud and clear on November 7 that we want to change course in Iraq. He doesn't hear them.

   The Iraq Study Group told him loud and clear that we must change course in Iraq and certainly not escalate; he doesn't hear them.

   His generals tell him that more troops won't do any good and will simply increase American casualties; he hears them, but he fires them and gets generals that will tell him what he wants to hear.

   There is nothing more clear today than that the civil war in Iraq is a civil war, that there is no function for the United States to try to help one side against the other in that civil war. Indeed, one could make the case we picked the wrong side, and that we must withdraw our troops. We must tell the Iraqis that we are withdrawing, and we are withdrawing on a timetable. You make a deal with each other; you live together or fight your own civil war. We are not going to do it for you.

   Mr. Speaker, for that we should not escalate. We should pass legislation in this Congress saying that appropriated funds can be used only to protect the troops and to withdraw them.

###