Carol Shea-Porter: “as we prepare to mark the unfortunate 6-year anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war that is being financed by deficit…”

“as we prepare to mark the unfortunate 6-year anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war that is being financed by deficit spending, it's important to recognize the serious effects this war is having on our military. Our generals are warning that our military has been stretched and strained too far. Perhaps that's why in a recent poll of 3,400 present and former military officers, 88 percent of them said that the demands of the war in Iraq have ``stretched the U.S. military dangerously thin.'' This is the worst readiness crisis since the Vietnam War, and military officers are justifiably worried about military preparedness. Military personnel are so concerned that nearly three-quarters of the officers surveyed in that recent poll said that their civilian leaders are setting ``unreasonable goals for the military'' in Iraq. And due to multiple deployments, the Army is facing a shortage of officers and enlisted personnel. Mr. Speaker, the 110th Congress is listening to the military. We will continue to push for a new direction, a new change, and an end to the war in Iraq.”