Kucinich: President Must Be Held Accountable At Prime Time News Conference
President Has Made False and Misleading Statements On Iraq and Social Security; The Press And Public Must Hold Him Accountable
Washington,
Apr 28, 2005 -
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following statement on the President’s prime time press conference scheduled for this evening:
“Tonight, the President will make a rare prime time appearance before the press and the nation. With our troops caught in a quagmire in Iraq, with no exit in sight; our economy weakening; gas prices on the rise; and the President continuing the create a false crisis in Social Security it is time to hold this President, and his Administration, accountable for their failing policies.
“Whether standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier, in an auditorium in Cincinnati, before the United States Congress, or the press at the White House, the President has repeatedly used the media and prime time appearances to mislead the nation.
“Now more than ever, it is urgent that the media and the public hold this Administration accountable:
“For two years, the Untied States has been bogged down in a quagmire in Iraq. Over 1500 US soldiers have died and ten of thousands have been injured. Despite the presence of well over 100,000 US troops, Iraq has become a training ground for terrorists and chaos rules the day. Despite elections, the Iraqi people know that decisions about their future are made in Washington and not in Baghdad. Yet, this Administration has offered the American public no plan for securing Iraq, no end game, and no exit strategy. The American public deserves better, and the press and the public must hold the President accountable.
“For months, the President has traveled the country repeatedly using misinformation in an effort to sell his Social Security privatization scheme. The President has repeatedly asserted that there is ‘no Social Security Trust’. Such misleading statements by the President do the debate on Social Security a real disservice. As the President is well aware, the Social Security Trust Fund is not just a filing cabinet, as he claims, but represents $1.7 trillion dollars in solemn obligations of the United States. The President is also all well aware, that the Trust Fund is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States treasury. The American public deserves a honest debate about the future of Social Security, and the President must be held accountable.
“The American public deserves the truth from their government. With a large and captive television audience, it is time for the President to answer the tough questions, and explain his false and misleading statements. The media and the public must not allow this President to continue to use the power of the bully pulpit to mislead the public on the most pressing issues facing our nation today.”
