Lynn C. Woolsey: “it has been said that we will all be judged by how we treat the least among us. Nowhere is that more true than in Iraq.…”

“it has been said that we will all be judged by how we treat the least among us. Nowhere is that more true than in Iraq. Two international headlines tell us of the devastation that is now Iraq. The first: ``Silent Victims: What Will Become of Iraq's Children?'' And the second: ``World Ignoring Iraqi Refugees.'' These headlines from CNN and the BBC, respectively, tell of the Iraqi victims of the occupation. While our brave men and women in uniform have done so much to try to improve the lives of average Iraqi families, the policies of the Bush administration have failed them and failed the Iraqi families in this regard. A recently released report from the U.N. found that nearly two million people have been displaced by the occupation of Iraq. Many of these refugees are seeking homes within Jordan and Syria. The report estimates that a quarter of these refugees are children, children who lack education opportunities and a normal, safe childhood. It seems like the so-called mission is far from being accomplished. Iraqis are begging to leave Iraq's violence and instability. Thousands upon thousands of applications for residency in the United States have been denied, even for those who served alongside our troops as translators and as guides. Four years ago the President promised an Iraq flourishing under a stable democracy.…”