Political Quotes

“To say that the Bush-Cheney spin machine lacks credibility is an understatement as it relates to the war in Iraq. Last week, the President marked the beginning of the sixth year of this war by delivering more of the same disconnected rhetoric. But at the same time he was giving this talk of progress, the facts on the ground betrayed this happy-talk. As Republican Senator Chuck Hagel said, the President's words--compared with the real facts on the ground--are like 'Alice in Wonderland.' The situation on the ground in Iraq is fluid and rapidly changing. Mr. President, I was stunned this morning when I got up and listened to the radio. Sadr has said: OK, lay down your arms on a couple conditions--release all the prisoners, don't do any more arrests, and leave us alone. Mr. President, within a couple of months after this war started, the commanders on the ground in Iraq came and told us that this man was a criminal and he would be in jail within a matter of a couple weeks. And here is this man now, 5 years later, who in effect is telling the elected leader of Iraq what to do and what not to do. It is clear that the Iraqi civil war persists. Within the past few days, nearly 1,000 Iraqis have been killed in Basra alone.”