March 21, 2007
House Democrats are bringing forward legislation that would lead to the end of the war in Iraq. As our nation marks the fourth anniversary of a war that never should have begun, it is critical that we pass this bill and pressure President Bush to support it.
Our bill, the ‘U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act,’ calls for American troops to leave Iraq by September of next year – at the latest. It makes sure that while our troops are there they have the resources they need. For wounded soldiers, our bill significantly increases funding for medical care and for post traumatic stress disorder. And our bill requires the President and the Iraqi government to meet the standards that they themselves have set.
MoveOn.org supports this bill. Leading former military officials support it. Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski supports the plan. Tom Friedman of The New York Times supports it. He wrote, “I hope the Democrats, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, keep pushing to set a deadline for withdrawal… Speaker Pelosi: Keep the heat on.”
The war in Iraq is the greatest American foreign policy disaster in the last fifty years. It was unjustified from the start and has been mishandled every step of the way. Sadly, there is no painless or easy way to end it. That’s the truth. But we now have a responsible plan bring our troops home. Anyone in Congress who favors an end to the war and who favors forcing the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country should support our bill.
We must bring our troops home. And our nation should guarantee them the proper care and respect they need and have earned when they get here.
-- Congressman George Miller