Progressive Talking Points 12/8/05

Honest Approach?Yesterday at the Council on Foreign Relations, President Bush gave another speech on Iraq. In doing so the President once again failed the American people. President Bush is never going to be credible on Iraq until he begins to have an honest dialogue with the American people. Most importantly, for three years, “staying the course” in Iraq has made America less safe. It’s time for the President to speak to Americans with candor and openness on Iraq, and it is time for a new course.

• The Iraq war has not paid for itself. The President promised that oil profits from Iraq would help pay for the war. That has not happened. The Iraq war already has cost the United States taxpayers over $277 billion, making it the third most expensive war in U.S. history. Furthermore, yesterday’s remarks by Congressman Jack Murtha concluded that war costs are expected to grow $100 billion more.
  
  
• The President has not given the American people an honest assessment of the facts on the ground. President Bush cited the cities of Mosul and Najaf as examples of progress in Iraq, and stated that this success was being replicated across Iraq. But USAID sees it differently – it is still looking to implement a $1 billion economic stabilization program in ten strategic Iraqi cities.
  
  
• We cannot have national consensus without an honest debate. President Bush must level with the American people. We need to know the true costs of the war and how the administration intends to pay for it; we need to see the administration lay out some benchmarks for success; and most importantly, the American people need to see some signs that the administration has a plan for Iraq that goes beyond “stay the course.”