“I’m very dissatisfied with President Bush’s intention to stay the course in Iraq.
He’s ignoring the majority of Americans who rightly wish an end to this war. We need to immediately begin redeploying our troops. We need to be making major steps, not continuing a policy of small steps that lead nowhere.
At this point, the brave men and women of our armed forces have accomplished everything asked of them and they have completed all that is possible militarily in Iraq. There is an intractable problem on the ground in Iraq. The tensions between the sectarian groups are centuries old and our presence only exacerbates the hostilities. It is no longer a military problem, but one of politics and diplomacy.
Congress must work quickly in a bipartisan way to forge a new direction that achieves a measure of stability in Iraq and shrinks the role of the American military. We must commit to ending this war and focus our nation’s efforts on fighting the real threats of terrorism around the world.”
A recording of the President’s speech is available on-line at www.whitehouse.gov/news.