Barbara Lee Responds to Extension of Tours for Troops in Iraq
Blasts Administration’s “Open Ended Occupation”
(Oakland, CA) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) released the following statement in response to the Bush Administration’s announcement today that all active-duty Army personnel in Iraq will see their tours extended by three months, from 12 to 15 months:
“The news that the tours of all active duty troops in Iraq will be extended by three months is further evidence of how unsustainable the administration’s policy of open ended occupation of Iraq is. The President is threatening to veto legislation that would put a clear end date on the occupation. He is literally asking us to accept, without question, an open ended commitment to occupying Iraq. The American people oppose this, the Democratic Congress opposes this and its time to bring a responsible end to this failed policy. If the Bush administration won't do it, Congress understands that we must.
“We must honor the sacrifice of our brave men and women and their families and recognize the unsustainable toll this war is taking on them. On average, 27 troops are killed and another 500 are wounded each month in Iraq. Leaving them in the position of refereeing an Iraqi civil war, without a clear mission, benchmarks, strategy or end date, as President Bush wants to do, is just unacceptable. We need to end the occupation of Iraq and bring our troops home.”
###