Statement of U.S. Senate Candidate Sheldon Whitehouse on the Third Anniversary of the Beginning of the Iraq War

Statement of U.S. Senate Candidate Sheldon Whitehouse on the Third Anniversary of the Beginning of the Iraq War

Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Sheldon Whitehouse made the following statement today on the three-year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq:

"Three years ago, George Bush misled this nation into war, without the support of the world and with no plan to win the peace. Today, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. Our allies have not rallied to our side. Iraq is poised on the brink of civil war. And despite this war's enormous, unspeakable cost - more than 2,300 Americans have lost their lives, and thousands more have been injured - there is no end in sight. And the Bush administration still has no plan for victory.

"America's path is clear. I believe, as I have throughout this debate, that we need to set a course for the rapid and responsible withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. That redeployment can - and should - be achieved by the end of this year, 2006. This strategy also means making it clear to the Iraqi people that the security, governance, and administration of their country is in Iraqi hands - and that we are in withdrawal mode. As Jack Reed has said: we must make it clear to the Iraqi people that we will not wait for them to let us go.

"The courage and resilience of our soldiers working to establish peace and security in Iraq shows the world the very best of America. The mismanagement of this war by the Bush administration does just the opposite. We need new leadership in Washington that will hold this administration accountable for putting our servicemen and women in harm's way based on faulty intelligence, without adequate body armor or training to keep them safe in battle, and without a plan to win the peace."

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