Democratic Radio Address: Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

[MaineDem]

Democratic Radio Address: Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Urges President Bush and Senate Republicans to Change Mission in Iraq

Washington, DC - Brandon Friedman, a former infantry officer in the
U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division and veteran of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, delivers the Democratic radio address this week. In March
2002, Friedman led troops into Afghanistan as part of Operation Anaconda
and later commanded troops during the invasion of Iraq and combat
operations in Hillah, Baghdad, and Tal Afar.

In the address, Friedman urges President Bush and Senate Republicans to
vote with the Democratic majority to responsibly redeploy our troops
from Iraq. Especially in light of the fact that the war has kept us from
devoting resources needed to fight terrorists and the escalation of the
Iraq war is failing, Friedman called on Republicans in Congress and
those in their party running for President to support changing the
mission in Iraq.

The transcript of the radio address is below.

Transcript of Radio Address:

Good morning. My name is Brandon Friedman and I served as an infantry
officer in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborn Division. In 2002, I led a
platoon into Afghanistan to engage Taliban and al Qaeda forces. Barely a
year later, I commanded troops during the invasion of Iraq and in the
insurgency that followed.

Like many in the military, I stayed away from politics while I was in
the service--and I deliberately maintained my independence from either
political party. But now I can no longer remain silent as our
Commander-in-Chief continually mismanages and degrades the military I
have come to love.

I had the privilege of serving with many courageous men and women in
uniform. And from the beginning, they have done their jobs admirably.
But no matter what they do, they cannot solve the political problems in
Iraq.

I traveled to Washington, D.C. this week on behalf of my fellow
veterans and delivered a clear-cut message to our representatives in
Congress: The escalation of the Iraq war is failing and now the mission
must change.

President Bush is keeping our already overextended troops in the middle
of a civil war instead of deferring to military leaders who agree that
we need to transition the mission to focus on a political solution--not
a military one.

His administration hasn't listened to the advice of experienced leaders
from the outset. In 2003, it was General Shinseki. In 2006, it was
General Abizaid. And this year, Generals Batiste and Eaton explained to
Americans that the President and his supporters in Congress didn't
listen to the military brass when it counted. And in turn, the generals
both left the military to warn that the staggering toll these repeated
deployments have taken on our military readiness--and that this
represents a dangerous threat to our national security.

Since the escalation began six months ago, nearly 600 of our brave
soldiers have been killed and it has cost Americans more than $60
billion. But despite these facts, Iraqis have not come to a political
reconciliation. According to the latest report on the surge, the Iraqi
government has met none of the critical political or economic benchmarks
they set for themselves.

It's past time for the transition to diplomatic efforts in Iraq that
Democrats have long demanded. The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from
devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide--as evidenced by
the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and al Qaeda has
been able to rebuild. We need an effective offensive strategy that takes
the fight to our real enemies abroad. And the best way to do that is to
get our troops out of the middle of this civil war in Iraq.

I commend the Democrats for standing up to President Bush on Iraq.
Since they took charge of Congress in January, the debate has gone from
if we should get out of Iraq to when we should do so. Although some
Senate Republicans have said they agree with Democrats that we need to
change course in Iraq, words are not enough. They need to vote with the
Majority and follow the lead of the House of Representatives which voted
on Thursday to responsibly redeploy our troops.

On my flight home this week, I sat next to an Army sergeant. She was a
flight medic--charged with saving lives on the battlefield. She told me
that she was on her way back to Iraq after taking her two weeks of
leave. She had spent the past ten months there, and was returning to
complete her last five. When I asked her how she felt about it, she
explained that she had a young son at home who will now spend a second
Christmas in a row without his mother. She said she was tired of
watching her fellow soldiers die in front of her. And she said that no
matter what she or anyone else did, nothing was changing in Iraq. Then
she just looked at me, as if no other explanation was needed, as if I
understood. And I did. Because I've been there.

It is time for the President and those in his party, including those
running to be the next Commander-in-Chief, to support changing the
mission in Iraq. For the sake of our national security, we must begin
bringing the troops back home.

This is Brandon Friedman, a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Thank you for listening.

###

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

[eleny]

1. Recommended

[eleny]

2. Hey, DUers - Lets get some more Recommends for this

:kick:

[halobeam]

3. K & R