Congressman Murtha's News Conference; What do you think?

[Rainmaker]

Official Transcript of Congressman's Murtha's Press Conference, November 17, 2005.

(Washington D.C.)- The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.

General Casey said in a September 2005 Hearing, “the perception of occupation in Iraq is a major driving force behind the insurgency.” General Abizaid said on the same date, “Reducing the size and visibility of the coalition forces in Iraq is a part of our counterinsurgency strategy.”

For 2 ½ years I have been concerned about the U.S. policy and the plan in Iraq. I have addressed my concerns with the Administration and the Pentagon and have spoken out in public about my concerns. The main reason for going to war has been discredited. A few days before the start of the war I was in Kuwait – the military drew a red line around Baghdad and said when U.S. forces cross that line they will be attacked by the Iraqis with Weapons of Mass Destruction – but the US forces said they were prepared. They had well trained forces with the appropriate protective gear.

We spend more money on Intelligence than all the countries in the world together, and more on Intelligence than most countries GDP. But the intelligence concerning Iraq was wrong. It is not a world intelligence failure. It is a U.S. intelligence failure and the way that intelligence was misused.

I have been visiting our wounded troops at Bethesda and Walter Reed hospitals almost every week since the beginning of the War. And what demoralizes them is going to war with not enough troops and equipment to make the transition to peace; the devastation caused by IEDs; being deployed to Iraq when their homes have been ravaged by hurricanes; being on their second or third deployment and leaving their families behind without a network of support.

The threat posed by terrorism is real, but we have other threats that cannot be ignored. We must be prepared to face all threats. The future of our military is at risk. Our military and their families are stretched thin. Many say that the Army is broken. Some of our troops are on their third deployment. Recruitment is down, even as our military has lowered its standards. Defense budgets are being cut. Personnel costs are skyrocketing, particularly in health care. Choices will have to be made. We can not allow promises we have made to our military families in terms of service benefits, in terms of their health care, to be negotiated away. Procurement programs that ensure our military dominance cannot be negotiated away. We must be prepared. The war in Iraq has caused huge shortfalls at our bases in the U.S.
Much of our ground equipment is worn out and in need of either serious overhaul or replacement. George Washington said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” We must rebuild our Army. Our deficit is growing out of control. The Director of the Congressional Budget Office recently admitted to being “terrified” about the budget deficit in the coming decades. This is the first prolonged war we have fought with three years of tax cuts, without full mobilization of American industry and without a draft. The burden of this war has not been shared equally; the military and their families are shouldering this burden.

Our military has been fighting a war in Iraq for over two and a half years. Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty. Our military captured Saddam Hussein, and captured or killed his closest associates. But the war continues to intensify. Deaths and injuries are growing, with over 2,079 confirmed American deaths. Over 15,500 have been seriously injured and it is estimated that over 50,000 will suffer from battle fatigue. There have been reports of at least 30,000 Iraqi civilian deaths.

I just recently visited Anbar Province Iraq in order to assess the conditions on the ground. Last May 2005, as part of the Emergency Supplemental Spending Bill, the House included the Moran Amendment, which was accepted in Conference, and which required the Secretary of Defense to submit quarterly reports to Congress in order to more accurately measure stability and security in Iraq. We have now received two reports. I am disturbed by the findings in key indicator areas. Oil production and energy production are below pre-war levels. Our reconstruction efforts have been crippled by the security situation. Only $9 billion of the $18 billion appropriated for reconstruction has been spent. Unemployment remains at about 60 percent. Clean water is scarce. Only $500 million of the $2.2 billion appropriated for water projects has been spent. And most importantly, insurgent incidents have increased from about 150 per week to over 700 in the last year. Instead of attacks going down over time and with the addition of more troops, attacks have grown dramatically. Since the revelations at Abu Ghraib, American casualties have doubled. An annual State Department report in 2004 indicated a sharp increase in global terrorism.

I said over a year ago, and now the military and the Administration agrees, Iraq can not be won “militarily.” I said two years ago, the key to progress in Iraq is to Iraqitize, Internationalize and Energize. I believe the same today. But I have concluded that the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is impeding this progress.

Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces and we have become a catalyst for violence. U.S. troops are the common enemy of the Sunnis, Saddamists and foreign jihadists. I believe with a U.S. troop redeployment, the Iraqi security forces will be incentivized to take control. A poll recently conducted shows that over 80% of Iraqis are strongly opposed to the presence of coalition troops, and about 45% of the Iraqi population believe attacks against American troops are justified. I believe we need to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis.
I believe before the Iraqi elections, scheduled for mid December, the Iraqi people and the emerging government must be put on notice that the United States will immediately redeploy. All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States occupation. I believe this will send a signal to the Sunnis to join the political process for the good of a “free” Iraq.

My plan calls:

To immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces.
To create a quick reaction force in the region.
To create an over- the- horizon presence of Marines.
To diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq

This war needs to be personalized. As I said before I have visited with the severely wounded of this war. They are suffering.

Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That’s why I am speaking out.

Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME.

[GR8GIRLS]

I, for one, am proud to be from Sen Murtha's home state.

[Rainmaker]

Originally Posted by GR8GIRLS

I, for one, am proud to be from Sen Murtha's home state.

Senator Murtha?

Wishful thinking!

And did you hear White House press secretary Scott McClellan yesterday accusing Murtha of endorsing "Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party" and calling Murtha's stance a "surrender to the terrorists"?

Methinks the White House is on the run!

[whitequeen96]

The White House IS on the run! Thank God people are finally opening their eyes! This will go down in history as one of the most disastrous administrations in U.S. history. I don't even know where to start!

George W. became President of a nation that was not perfect, but was certainly much better off than we are today! Yes, 9/11 was a terrible blow, but his actions afterwards have been reprehensible. Whether you believe he and his administration lied to us, or were simply incompetent, we have marched into a terrible war that has left over 2,000 of our young men and women dead, and many more physically and emotionally scarred. Our actions have plunged Iraq into ****, killing countless of innocent civilians. They are NOT better off now than they were under Saddam Hussein! The average Iraqui didn't go into politics, didn't become an Olympic athlete, and didn't have to worry about being killed by Saddam. Yes, he was a monster, but not when compared to what we have done to Iraq. He killed people, yes, but we have killed SO many more. We have liberated them, oh yes, from electricity, water, their homes and businesses, and their lives! Are Iraquis better off because of Bush's actions? NO! (They were not savages, but were primarily a peaceful, educated people who had decent lives. Good grief, they went to "Pizza Hot" after work!) Is our country better off because of Bush's actions? NO! The Arab world hates us, more than ever, and we are cultivating more terrorists to take action against us.

As for our budget, that, too, is in tatters after Bush's actions. He came into power with a SURPLUS(!), but has managed to spend us into an incredible deficit. His tax cuts for the wealthy, plus his spending in Iraq, are now going to be paid for by the poor. His administration has been pushing a bill to cut food stamps, student loans, and Medicaid for the poor, and the House passed it late Thursday night. It just makes me sick to think that the Senate might approve it. I do not believe that Christian (or any religion's) principles condone taking food or health care away from poor children, so that the rich don't have to pay taxes on their capital gains or their yachts.

There is so much more, but it gets my blood boiling and I must take care of my child right now. But the bottom line is that we are much worse off after this Administration. We are NOT safer than before, we have lost or had injured thousands of our young people, we have a huge deficit, we have put greed above helping the poorest and most helpless of our own people, and our world image has suffered what is probably the biggest black eye in history. The White House SHOULD be on the run!

[Ed Clemensen]

I truly wish I could speak to the good Senator, to encourage him to keep up the fight. Being that he is a Marine, I know that he will. It criminal that a deserter could even be allowed to live, let alone become President. It is even worse that he has the ability to send others to war. IT IS INCONHENSRABLE that he could even dirty the shadow of any of our warrioriers. It is not that I'm a peacenik. If there is a reason then lets mix it up, even Afganistan had might have had a reason, but there is no legitimate reason for Iraq. We had legitimate reason on the first Iraq war, barely, we had reason with Nam, WWII, and WWI. The only reason for this war is to make American based, but exempt from taxes, companies more money at the expence of the people, and the lives of military. I believe that Bush DID manipulate the facts to get us into this WAR.

[mrbowler]

Here's just a follow-up, and video if anyone cared to watch.

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[Ed Clemensen]

Did not see Oberman, seldom pay attention to him, as he usually is mouth piece for the reicht. However an excelent interview, I would like a showdown between the "lady" and whom she quoted, face to face. In the meantime, don't we already know that Bush, Cheny, Rummy and the gang did conspire, to get us into a war for the good of Haliburton. Where is the uproar, of holding valid materials, like the uproar of the "travel documentsl" during the Clinton years. When Clinton lies, no one died. Cowards who, ran from service in Nam, should have no right to send hero's to die. Where's the yellow ribbons.