End the Quagmire
in Iraq: Change Course—Change the Team
The invasion and occupation of Iraq—in defiance of
our international allies—has led our country into a
quagmire.
From the outset, we have been deceived and manipulated:
- The president and his defense team warned of Iraq’s
massive arsenals of weapons of mass destruction. There were
no such arsenals of weapons of mass destruction.
- We were told that Saddam Hussein would give such weapons
to Al Qaeda terrorists. There is no evidence of any significant
link between Hussein and Al Qaeda.
- We were told that getting rid of Hussein was in response
to the 9/11 attacks. Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11
attacks.
- We were assured that American soldiers would be greeted
with flowers and democracy would blossom in Iraq and throughout
the Middle East. Nothing could be further from the truth.
- We were told that the war would strike a blow against
terrorism. In fact the US occupation is spawning new terrorists,
galvanized by our presence and moving freely into this lawless,
broken country.
The US occupation has left American soldiers unprepared and
vulnerable, the country degenerating into chaos and the Iraqi
people embittered and hostile. Now, the president is asking
Congress for a staggering $87 billion blank check to fund
more of the same.
We say not so fast—not without changing course and
changing the team that failed our soldiers and led us into
a quagmire. We call on Congress to condition any additional
funding for US policy in Iraq on:
- The dismissal of the Bush administration team
responsible for the quagmire in Iraq - starting
with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld; and
- Ending the US military occupation of Iraq by
immediately transferring full authority to the United Nations
for the transition of the country to a truly representative
government.
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