Pelosi: Bush's Vote of Confidence for Rumsfeld Ensures a Continuation of Failed Policies in Iraq

Pelosi: Bush's Vote of Confidence for Rumsfeld Ensures a Continuation of Failed Policies in Iraq

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on President Bush saying this afternoon that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should remain in the Administration until the end of his presidency:

"President Bush may have put an end to his ‘stay the course' slogan, but today he provided further evidence that he has not abandoned his ‘stay the course' strategy. President Bush's declaration that he wants Secretary Rumsfeld to remain in office until the end of his presidency ensures a continuation of the failed policies that sent our troops to Iraq without sufficient equipment or a plan to complete their mission, provided thousands of weapons to the Iraqi army without an ability to determine whether they would be used against the insurgents or our troops, and brought our Army to the lowest level of readiness since Vietnam.

"Despite a U.S military assessment that found that Iraq is near chaos more than three and a half years after the war began, and Secretary Rumsfeld's advice that Americans concerned that more than 100 of our troops were killed in October alone ‘relax,' President Bush has given Secretary Rumsfeld a vote of confidence. President Bush's stay the course plan for Iraq is more of the same. It is long past time for a new direction in Iraq."

http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/releases.cfm?pressReleaseID=1916