Bush Administration's Spin on British Troop Withdrawal Not Helpful for the Future

BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S SPIN ON BRITISH TROOP WITHDRAWAL NOT HELPFUL FOR THE FUTURE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, last week British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he plans to withdraw 1,600 British troops this summer. The administration's response, this is good news, because it shows that some good things are happening in Iraq. Nice spin. But one has to wonder why our closest ally in this war is pulling out troops at the very same time this administration wants to send 21,500 additional U.S. soldiers into Iraq.

The British say they are withdrawing their troops because the Shiite-dominated southern region is relatively calm. That is, indeed, good news. But if the British really believed, as this President does, that expanding number of troops in Baghdad would lead to the same results there, wouldn't they choose to move these troops into Baghdad rather than pull them out completely?

No matter how the Bush administration tries to spin it, the British withdrawal is not good news for the administration's troop escalation plan. Why should we be sending thousands more of our troops to Iraq when Britain and other coalition members are pulling out? It is time the administration stops spinning and instead answers these questions.

http://thomas.loc.gov