Veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Urges Bush and Senate Republicans to Change Mission in Iraq

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from the DNC: http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/07/veteran_of_iraq.php


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.

listen to the address: http://www.democrats.org/page/-/audio/radio_addresses/20070714_DNCMessage.mp3


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.


http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/07/veteran_of_iraq.php

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1. I think that it is clear, that the shithead in chief has taken the worst possible

military course that could have been taken. He was driven into the canyon like a dumb cow, and now the Iraqi resistance is taking its pound of flesh. The longer we stay there, the more we will bleed and spend on an effort that has no real long term diplomatic or political value. The economic benefits to our CIC and his friends are clear and well documented however.

The Iraqi's seem to be silently supporting their resistance, with the knowledge that they are weakening our country every second that we try to maintain the occupation. We cannot recover economic losses because they keep blowing up the oil pipelines.

Our demented cowboy pResident has led this country down a gilded path, and many of our leaders have merrily followed along.

We must NEVER forget.