Reaction to Bush’s Speech
Today, after President Bush gave a speech on Iraq, U.S. Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement:
This speech was a positive step. I hope it signifies new candor by the President on Iraq. He has a lot of work to do to regain the support of the American people.
The President did a better job laying out where we are and where we’re trying to go in Iraq, but failed to tell us how or when we’re going to get there.
The President rightly says our goal is to train Iraqi security forces to the point where they can act on their own or lead operations and he tells us how many are there now - but he doesn’t give us any idea when more Iraqis will get to that point and what we’re doing to train them more quickly and effectively.
Similarly, the Administration’s strategy paper is candid about the continuing security challenges, yet there is not a word on what we’re doing to overcome these huge obstacles.
The real question remains: as our soldiers start to come home, will they leave behind an Iraq on the path to stability or chaos? And are we doing everything we can to preserve our interests? I am still not convinced we are on the right track.”
