Timothy H. Bishop: “after watching last night's Presidential address, I must question whether or not our President actually listens to…”

“after watching last night's Presidential address, I must question whether or not our President actually listens to anyone besides the same neoconservative ideologues who are the architects of the fiasco in Iraq and who have insisted that victory in Iraq is just around the corner. Clearly the President is not listening to his top generals on the ground who have expressed doubt in the President's call for a surge in troops; nor is he listening to the advice of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which has called for a redeployment of troops and additional training for Iraqi security forces; nor is he listening to the Iraqi people, 78 percent of whom say the presence of American troops is adding to, rather than controlling, the violence. Most importantly, the President isn't listening to the American people, who sent a clear message last November that his policies in Iraq aren't working, and that a change of course is needed. Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to the President's plan to escalate this war. I believe the solutions to the problems in Iraq are political ones. And I will support my colleagues in using the constitutional authority vested in the Congress to control our future involvement in Iraq.”