Cord Byrd: “I have watched with heavy heart and mounting dread as the ever precarious battle to bring security to postwar Iraq has…”

“I have watched with heavy heart and mounting dread as the ever precarious battle to bring security to postwar Iraq has taken a desperate turn for the worse in recent days and hours. Along with so many Americans, I have been shaken by the hellish carnage in Fallujah and the violent uprisings in Baghdad and elsewhere. The pictures have been the stuff of nightmares, with bodies charred beyond recognition and dragged through the streets of cheering citizens. And in the face of such daunting images and ominous developments, I have wondered anew at President Bush's stubborn refusal to admit mistakes or express any misgivings over America's unwarranted intervention in Iraq. During the past weekend, the death toll among America's military personnel in Iraq topped 600--including as many as 20 American soldiers killed in one 3-day period of fierce fighting. Many of the dead, most, perhaps, were mere youngsters--mere youngsters--just starting out on the great adventure of life. But before they could realize their dreams, they were called into battle by their Commander in Chief, a battle that we now know was predicated on faulty intelligence and wildly exaggerated claims.”