Washington,
Dec 20, 2006 -
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 20) — In response to President Bush’s press conference announcing the need for added troops in Iraq, Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following statement:
“Sending additional troops to Iraq is the wrong direction. Supplying Iraq with more troops will only further strain our American military. The Iraq Study Group, military leaders and foreign policy experts all agree that this war cannot be won militarily. The time is now to bring an end to the U.S. occupation.”
The latest CNN poll found that 67% of Americans oppose the war in Iraq and 70% said they disapprove of Bush’s war management. This has never been more evident than this past election when the American people voted for a new course in Iraq.
“The Administration must listen to what the American people said on November 7. The new Democratic-controlled Congress must listen to what the American people said on November 7. The people put control of Congress back in the hands of the Democrats because they want a new direction in Iraq -- out. We should not send one more soldier to Iraq.
“The money is in the pipeline right now to bring the troops home. On October 1, Congress appropriated $70 billion for Iraq. The Administration will ask for up to another $160 billion in the spring bringing the total for the Iraq war to $230 billion. In less than two years the war and the military budget combined will cost more than $1 trillion. We are sacrificing our entire domestic agenda to pay for this war and the military buildup that attends to it.
“Increasing the number of troops will only throw good money after bad at an already failed policy. Increasing the number of troops will only mean more death, destruction, civil war and chaos.
“The only strategy capable of winning is diplomacy. Diplomacy can only be achieved through conversation. That conversation is with the leaders of the nations of the region, including Iran and Syria. That conversation needs to begin now.”
