Reports Discovered on Iraq

REPORTS DISCOVERED ON IRAQ -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2004)

(Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, today the New York Times uncovered two classified reports prepared for President Bush in the months leading up to the war in Iraq. These documents warned the President that "an American-led invasion of Iraq would result in a deeply divided Iraqi society prone to violent internal conflict." Officials told the Times that a second report warns of a possible insurgency, saying the rogue elements from Saddam Hussein's government could work with existing terrorist groups or act independently to wage guerrilla warfare.

Sounds exactly like the situation our U.S. troops face today in Iraq. Unfortunately, President Bush and his administration did not listen to these warnings. Vice President Cheney said we would be greeted with flowers, and President Bush egged insurgents on by telling them to "bring it on."

Today's report is just another example of the President's failed policies in Iraq. He had a flawed rationale for going to war. He did not have a plan to win the peace. He failed to implement his reconstruction plans for Iraq, leaving the country in chaos. And now we learn that he ignored intelligence estimates that warned of problems after the fall of Baghdad. The world cannot afford another 4 years of this failed leadership.