Marcy Kaptur: “a little over 3 years have passed since the invasion of Iraq, and it seems that we are no closer to victory than we were…”

“a little over 3 years have passed since the invasion of Iraq, and it seems that we are no closer to victory than we were the day U.S. troops rolled into Baghdad. So where are we in Iraq? This is a question many are asking. Just this morning, a suicide bomber attacked police headquarters in Fallujah, killing 15 and wounding 30 others. According to AP reports, 13 of those killed were Iraqi recruits and two were Iraqi police. In Baghdad over the past 2 days, 34 bodies have been discovered throughout that city. The hands of the men had been bound. All showed signs of torture, and all had been shot in the head. Another 12 bodies, all Sunni Arabs, were found in the streets over the weekend. This is appalling news, Mr. Speaker; and, sadly, it is simply a continuation of the sectarian violence sparked by the February bombing of the holy Askariya Mosque in Samara. The elevated violence has claimed hundreds of lives, and many experts and scholars worry if this is deteriorating into a full-out civil war. We can only hope that will not be the case, Mr. Speaker, but the signs are troubling, and insurgents are targeting Iraqis as well as U.S. troops. Iraqis are attacking other Iraqis, and no one seems to know how to stop the violence. It is clear that the administration's pre-war intelligence was finagled or flubbed, and war efforts are being bungled.…”