Statement by Rep. Hank Johnson, House Armed Services Committee, on Gen. Petraeus' Iraq Report

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Statement by Rep. Hank Johnson, House Armed Services Committee, on Gen. Petraeus' Iraq Report

September 10, 2007
I have listened intently to Gen. Petraeus' Report on Iraq which he delivered today and the sad truth is that nothing has changed. In a nutshell, it's the same old, same old.

Not surprisingly, Gen. Petraeus insists that progress is being made, yet he says that the Iraqi government is not yet ready to take over. We've heard this all before; in fact we've heard this line for five years.

To my thinking, the General has provided no justification whatsoever for the continued occupation by U.S. troops or the escalating cost of this war. At every turn the Administration has failed miserably in addressing the situation in Iraq.

The President has lost the confidence of the American people. The surge has put more U.S. troops in harms way. The Iraqi government continues to be inept, incompetent and corrupt. And the Iraqi forces remain content to let U.S. service men and women die on the front lines rather than stepping up to protect their own Iraqi people.

Clearly, this bottomless pit in Iraq will continue to consume U.S. resources with no end in sight. I urge the Administration to face facts and find a responsible way to phase out of this sectarian conflict. It can and should be done starting immediately.

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