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The Surge Has Failed: Congressman Robert Wexler
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
sent by MichaelP - Jan 9, 2008
This article was written as an editorial and released by
Congressman Robert Wexler's campaign.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977224520
Many thousands of you have asked to learn more about my position on the
Iraq war and related funding. As you may know, a few weeks ago I voted
again to deny funding without a timetable.
I am bothered by the recent movement to repackage the Surge as a success.
Today, I released an editorial (below and also published on the Daily Kos)
regarding my view of the Surge's so-called "success." If you have a
moment, please read it when you get a chance.
Thank you again for your sup****t.
Congressman Robert Wexler
***
The Surge Has Failed
A new troubling myth has taken hold in Wa****ngton and it is critical
that the record is set straight. According to the mainstream media,
Republicans, and unfortunately even some Democrats, the President's
surge in Iraq has been a resounding success. In fact, nothing could be
further from the truth.
This assertion is disingenuous, factually incorrect, and negatively
impacts America's national security. The Surge had a clear and defined
objective - to create stability and security - enabling the Iraqi
government to enact lasting political solutions and foster genuine
reconciliation and cooperation between Sunnis, ****as, and Kurds.
This has not happened.
There has been negligible political progress in Iraq, and we are no closer
to solving the complex problems - including a power sharing government,
oil revenue agreement and new constitution - than we were before the
Administration upped the ante and sent 30,000 more troops to Iraq.
Too many Democrats in Congress are again surrendering to General Petraeus
and have failed to challenge the Bush Administration's claims that the
surge has been successful. In fact -- it is just the opposite.
The reduction in violence in Iraq has exposed the continuing failure of
Iraqi officials to solve their substantial political rifts. By President
Bush's own stated goal of political progress, the Surge has failed.
Of course raising troop levels has increased security - a strategy the
Bush administration ignored when presented by General ****nseki before the
war in Iraq began - but the fundamental internal Iraqi problems remain and
the factors that were accelerating the civil war in 2007 have simply been
put on hold.
The military progress is a testament to the patience and dedication of our
brave troops - even in the face of 15 month-long deployments followed by
insufficient Veteran's health services when they return home. They have
performed brilliantly - despite the insult of having President Bush
recently veto a military spending bill that enhanced funding and benefits,
and increased care.
Despite the efforts of American soldiers, the surge alone cannot bring
about the political solutions needed to end centuries of sectarian divide.
As it stands, little on the ground sup****ts the assertion that Iraqis are
ready to stand up and govern themselves. Too few Iraqi troops are trained,
equipped and combat ready, and they cannot yet provide adequate security.
Loyalty is also an issue in the Iraqi army as Al Queda and Sunni
insurgents infliltrate their defense forces. The consequences turned
deadly just recently when an Iraqi soldier purposely killed two U.S.
troops.
On the streets of Baghdad and Mosul, the Sunni and ****a factions have
paused their fighting, awaiting guarantees and protections that have not
yet been delivered. As Iraqi refugees return, there is no mechanism to
help them rebuild their lives, nor recover their now-occupied homes.
Neighborhoods once mixed are now segregated.
In Northern Iraq, Kurdish terrorists conducting nefarious operations
across the border into Turkey have compelled our NATO ally to strike at
bases, inflaming tensions between Baghdad and Ankara.
The surge is working? We suffered more U.S. casualties in 2007 than in any
other year of the war. We can't afford any more of this type of success.
How can we create the situation that is most likely to deliver political
progress in Iraq? Not by continuing the surge and occupation. Our best
chance (there is no guarantee) is by putting real pressure on the Iraqi
government to force action. Telling the national and local Iraqi leaders
that we are withdrawing our troops can help accomplish this goal. Today,
the majority Iraqi ****a government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
has little incentive to act when American troops remain in the country to
provide security and stability.
Based on the Administration's plan, John McCain's proposal of a 100-year
US occupation could be a reality!
The Democratic Congress must act aggressively to first cut off funding for
the surge and then the entire war. Many of my colleagues avoided a
showdown with the administration because they mistakenly believed such a
fight would endanger the safety of the troops.
In fact, we must accept that every soldier killed or injured in the coming
months should have already been home. Every billion dollars of
war-appropriations we spend from here on should have been spent on genuine
priorities here at home such as children's heath care.
Enough is enough: While the Administration over-commits American forces
in Iraq, we see Al Qaeda-regrouping and Osama Bin Laden still at large.
We remain seriously bogged down in Afghanistan, and are witnessing a
crisis in Pakistan that has left a nuclear country on the brink of a
meltdown. America's resources and attention are desperately needed
elsewhere and our soldiers must no longer be needlessly sacrificed as we
wait for Iraqis to stand up.
The Surge has failed. If my colleagues gullibly accept the moving
rationale for the Surge, just as so many have for the war itself, we
will have failed as well.
*
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