Dean says Republicans want to keep Iraq's civil war going

[NNN0LHI]

http://alaskareport.com/news/z46359_howard_dean.htm

July 14, 2007

Washington, DC - Howard Dean says only the Republicans want to keep the Iraq civil war going.

"The choice is clear between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Every single one of the Republicans – except for one who is a libertarian – has made it clear that they stand by the President's stay the course strategy in Iraq. Every single one of the Democratic candidates has made it clear they will get us out of Iraq responsibly. "I want to talk about Iraq for a moment, and respond to what the President said earlier today about the interim report on the surge – a report Democrats forced him to have to make public."

"He refused once again to acknowledge the truth that is staring all of us in the face, stubbornly picking only the facts he wants to see and to hear. It seems he would rather keep our already overextended troops in the middle of a civil war instead of acknowledging what a majority of Americans already know: the surge is not working. Even senior military leaders have acknowledged the need for a political solution in Iraq."

"It's time for President Bush to recognize that this is not about saving political face and he cannot continue to ignore the will of the American people. This is about keeping America safe, saving American lives, and responsibly bringing our troops home. It's also about refocusing our efforts on fighting the war on terror, fighting the terrorists where they are – now resurging on the Afghan-Pakistani border."

"Here's what the President didn't tell you: Six months into the Republican surge, nearly 600 brave Americans have been killed and we have spent $60 billion in Iraq. Despite these extraordinary costs, Iraqis have met none of their political and economic benchmarks they set for themselves, the surge has failed to make Iraq more secure, and the war will continue to cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. The disastrous failures of the Republican Iraq policy have given Al Qaeda time to reorganize and rebuild. And six years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose."