June 28, 2005
“The President misled the American people about this war, and he has no credibility on Iraq. There were no Weapons of Mass Destruction. There was no connection between Saddam and al Qaeda. There was no post war planning, and our nation is less safe as a result.
“The last time he got up in front of the troops and addressed the nation on Iraq he said ‘mission accomplished.’ Since then, more than 1600 US troops have died. Why should the American people believe him now?
“The President needs to get honest with the American people about Iraq. Not even Republicans believe the insurgency is in its ‘last throes.’ It is time for the President to level with us and offer a clear plan for how to stabilize the situation on the ground and bring our troops home. He got us into this mess, and he needs to get us out.
“In 1999, George W. Bush criticized President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo. He said:
“‘Victory means exit strategy, and it’s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is.’
“Later that year, he elaborated:
“‘I think it’s also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn.’
“Tonight, he failed to live up to the standard he himself set. He offered the American people no plan, no benchmarks or exit strategy, and that only underscores his lack of credibility when it comes to Iraq.”
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Barbara Lee Says Bush Has No Credibility, No Plan for Iraq
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) offered the following statement in response to President Bush’s speech on Iraq tonight:“The President misled the American people about this war, and he has no credibility on Iraq. There were no Weapons of Mass Destruction. There was no connection between Saddam and al Qaeda. There was no post war planning, and our nation is less safe as a result.
“The last time he got up in front of the troops and addressed the nation on Iraq he said ‘mission accomplished.’ Since then, more than 1600 US troops have died. Why should the American people believe him now?
“The President needs to get honest with the American people about Iraq. Not even Republicans believe the insurgency is in its ‘last throes.’ It is time for the President to level with us and offer a clear plan for how to stabilize the situation on the ground and bring our troops home. He got us into this mess, and he needs to get us out.
“In 1999, George W. Bush criticized President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo. He said:
“‘Victory means exit strategy, and it’s important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is.’
“Later that year, he elaborated:
“‘I think it’s also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn.’
“Tonight, he failed to live up to the standard he himself set. He offered the American people no plan, no benchmarks or exit strategy, and that only underscores his lack of credibility when it comes to Iraq.”
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