Emerson: U.S. Must Stand Fast in Iraq

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today underscored the
importance of remaining dedicated to the U.S. mission in the Middle East.

"As a nation, we cannot afford to falter in our support of our troops. Many of Missouri's sons and daughters are serving in Iraq. They are doing their duty with honor and they are making us proud. I want them and their families to know that they have my full confidence and support.

"Our troops serving in the Middle East deserve better focus on completing the goals of their missions," Emerson said. "I am dismayed by the abuse and humiliation of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. I am disappointed by the way some members of our military, both soldiers and officers, have acted. They should be and will be punished.

"The entire military chain of command has been weakened by these abuses at a time when we should be concentrating on the task at hand: to secure and stabilize the nation of Iraq and expedite sovereignty for the Iraqi people. Without the full support of the American people, these goals simply cannot be accomplished."

Emerson also responded to the charge that the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison provoked the grisly murder of American civilian Nick Berg, a videotape of whose killing was broadcast on a website linked to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda:

"Achieving security at home and in the Middle East means rooting out terrorism. We know al-Qaeda will work against us at every opportunity. But it is wrong to suggest American troops provoked the gruesome murder of civilian Nick Berg in Iraq and the despicable video released yesterday. It is not America that caused the slaughter of this young man. The responsibility for this act is with the hooded cowards who wielded the knife and murdered Nick Berg. We must redouble our efforts to hunt down members of al-Qaeda, destroy their organizational structure, and thwart their mission of radical extremist actions, chaos, death, and destruction."