Wynn: The Surge Is Not The Answer

Press Release

Wynn: The Surge Is Not The Answer

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Albert Wynn (D-MD) released the following statement today on the testimony of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker to a joint House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the war in Iraq:

"The reports of General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker are exactly what we expected-overly optimistic arguments for the continuation of President Bush's ‘Stay the Course' strategy in Iraq. We have heard these progress reports before, but the success touted by this Administration so many times before has again failed to materialize today. Despite the courage of our troops, the surge has not been successful in helping the Iraqi people move towards political reconciliation and necessary political reform.

"Most importantly, the surge has not reduced the level of sectarian violence in Iraq. The number of daily attacks on civilians is the same, or greater, as before the troop surge began. Marginal security improvements in Baghdad are only part of the picture. Outside of Baghdad, a civil war still rages across Iraq.

"The American people overwhelmingly want an end to the occupation and war in Iraq. In failing to plan for the invasion's aftermath, this administration has replaced a brutal dictator with chaos and civil war. We have not healed the deep rifts that divide Iraq into Sunni, Shiia, and Kurd. And despite the best efforts of our fighting men and women, we cannot force the Iraqi people to put aside past wrongs and work together for a peaceful, democratic Iraq.

"Recent reports by the General Accountability Office, an independent Congressional commission, and the National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq all give the same picture of Iraq, and it is one in strong contrast to that of Petraeus and Crocker: violence remains high, political reconciliation has not occurred, Administration benchmarks remain unmet, and Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively. U.S. forces are caught in the crossfire, and attacked by insurgents protected by the police and military forces we have trained.

"American troops have fought valiantly in Iraq. But this Administration has failed them, insisting that the surge is working, that they must remain indefinitely, that more troops can fix every problem. The time for military intervention in Iraq is over. It is time for our troops to come home."

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