Meeks Statement on theTestimony of General Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker Before the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Statement

Meeks Statement On The Testimony Of General Patraeus And Ambassador Crocker Before The House Foreign Affairs Committee

Rep. Gregory W. Meeks released the following statement on today's testimony by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker before the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the war in Iraq:

"It is clear from two full days of testimony by General David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker before the respective House and Senate Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees, that the Bush Administration does not intend to reduce the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to below pre-surge levels. In effect, President Bush is passing his mess to the next president.

"Last year, the President promised that an escalation of combat troops would stabilize Iraq. Today, as General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker tacitly and sometimes directly admitted, the Iraqi government remains ill-prepared to secure its country. Whatever minor progress that has been made is jeopardized by the Iraqi political and governmental leadership's failure to fill the space created by increased U.S. troop levels to make tangible advances in terms of reconciliation and inclusion.

"It was and remains a huge error in judgment to have invaded and occupied Iraq. The American people are paying a high and escalating price for President Bush's misguided policy of continuing war in Iraq. In five years of war, we have spent more than $500 billion — money that could have been used to revive our struggling economy. The staggering costs that some experts say will eventually surpass $3 trillion in total expenditure pales in significance compared to the thousands of American lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives that have been lost in this erroneous operation.

"More needs to be done to help the brave men and women who do return alive from Iraq, especially those who have been injured. These courageous heroes left and leave their wives or husbands, children, and other loved ones behind to put their lives on the line for our country. Veterans of the Iraq war earn the right to quality services and maximum benefits not the inadequately funded benefits that the Administration has chosen to provide.

"It is time to bring our troops home, reemphasize diplomatic initiative and regional cooperation, reinvest in our economy, and begin the process of rebuilding much of what has been destroyed under this administration whose failed policies in Iraq and in regard to the war on terror has placed a tremendous burden on the American people and tarnished our reputation around the world."

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