On 5th Anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" Speech, Stender Calls for Troop Withdrawal Within A Year

Press Release

Five years ago today, President Bush triumphantly declared "mission accomplished," claiming major combat operations in Iraq had ended. Since that pronouncement, almost 4,000 American troops have lost their lives and another 30,000 have been wounded in action. Five years later, it is time our nation comes together to bring our troops home and demand timetables for withdrawal within a year from a war that never should have been waged.

"Our brave men and women in uniform have served our country with honor, and five years after President Bush callously declared ‘mission accomplished,' it is time we demand timetables to bring them home safely," said Linda Stender, candidate for Congress in New Jersey's 7th District. "President Bush continues to spend $12 billion a month on a war that should never have been waged and with no exit strategy to get our troops out of harm's way."

"It's time New Jersey tax dollars were spend on New Jersey priorities. With more than $3 trillion spent in total on the war, our schools, hospitals, bridges and military readiness have all suffered. Our county is on the brink of recession, and too many families are forced to choose between paying for healthcare or filling up a tank of gas. It's time to bring our troops home so we can again focus on making America stronger."

Background information:

* Proposed FY 2008 spending calls for $390.8 million in additional money from 7th District taxpayers. For the same amount of money, 35,882 people could have received healthcare one year, or 546,981 homes could be powered with renewable electricity for one year, or 6,673 public safety officer salaries could be funded for one year, or 39,241 college scholarships could have been funded for one year. [National Priorities Project, NJ-7 fact sheet, accessed 5/1/08]

* Taxpayers in New Jersey's 7th District have paid $2.4 billion to date to fund the war. For the same amount of money, 223, 821 people could have received healthcare for one year, or 3,411,864 homes could have been powered with renewable electricity for one year, or 41,621 public safety officer salaries could have been funded for one year, or 244,770 college scholarships could have been funded for one year. [ National Priorities Project, NJ-7 fact sheet, accessed 5/1/08]

* 3,000 additional members of the New Jersey National Guard alone are scheduled to deploy to Iraq this summer. The largest deployment of the state's Guardsmen since World War II. [Courier-Post, 2/24/08]

* 4,052 American troops have died in Iraq since the war began in 2003. [icasualties.org, accessed 5/1/08]

* 3,913 of those American troops have died in Iraq since May 1, 2003, when President Bush announced "mission accomplished." [antiwar.com/casualties, accessed 5/1/08]

* 70 soldiers from New Jersey alone have died in Iraq since the war began, and 436 Garden State soldiers have been wounded in action [icasualties.org, accessed 5/1/08]

* 140,000 American troops are estimated to be in Iraq in the summer of 2008, according to Bush administration projections. [Associated Press 2/28/08]

* 130,000 American troops in Iraq when President Bush declared "mission accomplished." [salon.com 9/10/07]

* 29,829 American troops have been wounded in hostile action since the start of US military operations in Iraq. [antiwar.com/casualties, accessed 5/1/08]

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