Gwen Moore: “with the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq reaching 2,500, it's disappointing that the best the GOP leadership can…”

“with the number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq reaching 2,500, it's disappointing that the best the GOP leadership can do is demand more of the same. That's exactly what this resolution does by calling for a vague open-ended military commitment in Iraq. This resolution reaffirms a policy that simply isn't working. Instead of acknowledging the difficulties our troops face by offering clear alternatives to the President's ``business as usual'' approach, this resolution tries to cloud the debate by focusing on the ``war on terror.'' Indeed, Iraq isn't even mentioned until the eighth paragraph. The real issue at hand is whether this particular U.S. military-led effort that we've been following under Secretary Rumsfeld will achieve lasting peace and democracy in Iraq. I can understand why the GOP would want to divert attention from this critical question--it is precisely because of the Administration's policy that Iraq has become a terrorist haven where none existed before. Since President Bush landed on an aircraft carrier and declared ``mission accomplished'', the estimated number of insurgents in Iraq has quadrupled from 5,000 to 20,000. As a result, the average number of daily attacks by insurgents has climbed from 53 to 75, from May 2004 to May 2006. This war is an expensive quagmire that's weakening the federal government's ability to meet our domestic needs.…”