Press Releases
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
09/14/2007
Pelosi: Despite White House Report Showing Little Progress, Bush is Committed to 10 More Years of War in Iraq
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following
statement today on a new White House report that indicates that Iraq has made
little progress toward meeting key political and security benchmarks:
“President Bush is committed to 10 more years of war in
“The redeployment of our troops cannot be delayed by the
failure of the Iraqi government to achieve the political and economic
benchmarks established by the Bush Administration. The American people reject the President’s
10-year war in
FACT SHEET
September 14, 2007
THE PRESIDENT’S 10-YEAR
WAR IN
BUSH’S RHETORIC DOESN’T MATCH WHITE
HOUSE’S OWN REPORT
Last night, President Bush outlined a status quo
strategy that leaves at least 130,000 American soldiers in harm’s way as part of
a 10-year occupation of
“The White House told Congress Friday
that Iraqi leaders gained little new ground on key military and political goals,
a discouraging assessment a day after President Bush said progress justifies a
large continued U.S. military presence there…” [Associated
Press, 9/14/07]
PRESIDENT BUSH:
“One year ago, much of
WHITE HOUSE REPORT:
“Unfortunately, total civilian casualties did not fall as
significantly over the same period, as al-Qaida launched several high-casualty vehicle IED attacks in Baghdad
and the northern provinces in an attempt to provoke greater sectarian
violence… militias are still
acting outside the law in the uncleared parts of Baghdad and the southern
provinces of Karbala, Basra, Qadisiyah, and Maysan. In these areas,
militia members have either infiltrated Iraqi Security Forces or brokered deals
with the local ISF or civilian leadership.” [White House Report, 9/14/07]
PRESIDENT BUSH:
“Yet
WHITE HOUSE REPORT:
“Reconciliation in a society marked by nearly four decades of
dictatorship will not be linear and will take time, patience, and support from
the international community…Moving these laws
forward depends on deal-making among major players in a society divided along
sectarian, ethnic, and other lines -- and navigation of a nascent democratic
system with checks and balances that, while protecting minority groups, also
slows legislative progress…The natural tension between groups has
been exacerbated by political blocs threatening to withdraw support from the
government…they have contributed to an environment of mistrust and gridlock.”
PRESIDENT BUSH:
“…ultimately, the way
forward depends on the ability of Iraqis to maintain security gains…the Iraqi
army is becoming more capable, although there is still a great deal of work
to be done to improve the National Police. Iraqi forces are receiving
increased cooperation from local populations. And this is improving their
ability to hold areas that have been cleared.” [9/13/07]
WHITE HOUSE REPORT:
“There are still challenges
in developing Iraqi institutions to sustain existing forces, delays in obtaining
required equipment, persistent ethno-sectarian influences and political
interference, a limited pool of trained officers and non-commissioned officers
(NCOs), and attrition from combat.” [White House Report,
9/14/07]