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Congresswoman Matsui Statement in Advance of President Bush’s Address to the Nation About the War |
Congresswoman Matsui Statement in Advance of
President Bush’s Address to the Nation About the War in Iraq |
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Wednesday, January 10, 2007 Printable Version (PDF)
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (CA-05) issued the following statement in advance of the President’s speech tonight, Wednesday, January 10, 2007, which reports suggest will propose escalating the war: “I think most people would agree that the voters sent a clear message about the War in Iraq in last year’s elections. However, from news accounts about what the President intends to propose tonight, it appears he has not heard or has chosen not to listen. “I will listen to the President’s speech tonight, and will carefully study his recommendations and scrutinize his justifications. But having said that, in light of the Administration’s disastrous mismanagement of the war and its failed history of prior troop increases, I believe such a move would be a tragic mistake. We should be bringing troops home, not sending more there. “If these news accounts are accurate, what is being referred to as a “surge” is, in fact, an escalation of the war. Such an escalation would likely result only in an increase in violence while sending precisely the wrong message to the Iraqis. It certainly will not make clear that Iraqis must be responsible for the country’s security, quite the contrary. “Further, escalation of the conflict will increase the strain on a military that is already stretched to the breaking point. It also demands too much our military and National Guard members and their families, who have already been asked to sacrifice too much. “Any solution to the War in Iraq is ultimately going to be found on the political or diplomatic fronts, not on the battlefield. Should the President persist in advancing an escalation of the conflict, I will oppose such a move and that would include a vote in support of a resolution against this troop escalation. “As the new Congress gets underway, the President will need to get used to something new: oversight. The era of blank checks for his policies is over.”
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