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Skriven 2007-04-24 23:30:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0704241) for Tue, 2007 Apr 24
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President Bush Discusses Iraq War Supplemental
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary April 24, 2007

President Bush Discusses Iraq War Supplemental South Lawn

˙ Video (Windows) ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Defense ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

11:13 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Seventy-eight days ago I sent Congress a
request for emergency war funding that our troops urgently need. I made it
clear to Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill that I'm willing to discuss our
differences on the way forward in Iraq. But I also made it clear our troops
should not be caught in the middle of that discussion.

Yesterday, Democratic leaders announced that they plan to send me a bill
that will fund our troops only if we agree to handcuff our generals, add
billions of dollars in unrelated spending, and begin to pull out of Iraq by
an arbitrary date.

I'm disappointed that the Democratic leadership has chosen this course. The
bill they announced yesterday includes some of the worst parts of the
measures they had earlier passed with narrow majorities in the House and
the Senate. They know I'm going to veto a bill containing these provisions,
and they know that my veto will be sustained.

But instead of fashioning a bill I could sign, the Democratic leaders chose
to further delay funding our troops, and they chose to make a political
statement. That's their right. But it is wrong for our troops and it's
wrong for our country. To accept the bill proposed by the Democratic
leadership would be to accept a policy that directly contradicts the
judgment of our military commanders. I strongly believe that the Democrats'
proposal would undermine our troops and threaten the safety of the American
people here at home. And here is why.

First, a proposal would mandate the withdrawal of American troops beginning
as early as July 1st of this year, and no later than October 1st of this
year, despite the fact that General Petraeus has not yet received all the
reinforcements he needs. It makes no sense to tell the enemy when you start
to plan withdrawing. If we were to do so, the enemy would simply mark their
calendars and begin plotting how to take over a country when we leave.

We know what could happen next. Just as al Qaeda used Afghanistan as a base
to plan attacks of September the 11th, al Qaeda could make Iraq a base to
plan even more deadly attacks. The lesson of 9/11 is that allowing
terrorists to find a sanctuary anywhere in the world can have deadly
consequences on the streets of our own cities. Precipitous withdrawal from
Iraq is not a plan to bring peace to the region or to make our people safer
at home. Instead, it would embolden our enemies and confirm their belief
that America is weak. It could unleash chaos in Iraq that could spread
across the entire region. It would be an invitation to the enemy to attack
America and our friends around the world. And, ultimately, a precipitous
withdrawal would increase the probability that American troops would one
day have to return to Iraq and confront an enemy that's even more
dangerous.

Second, the Democratic leadership's proposal is aimed at restricting the
ability of our generals to direct the fight in Iraq. They've imposed
legislative mandates, they passed legislative mandates telling them which
enemies they can engage and which they cannot. That means our commanders in
the middle of a combat zone would have to take fighting directions from
legislators 6,000 miles away on Capitol Hill. The result would be a marked
advantage for our enemies and a greater danger for our troops.

Third, the bill proposed by Democratic leaders would spend billions of
dollars on projects completely unrelated to the war. Proposed legislation
does remove some of the most egregious pork barrel projects that Democratic
leaders had inserted in earlier bills. Yet it still includes huge amounts
of domestic spending that has no place in an emergency war funding bill. We
should debate those provisions on their own merits, during the normal
process -- but funding for our troops should not be held hostage while that
debate unfolds.

I know that Americans have serious concerns about this war. People want our
troops to come home, and so do I. But no matter how frustrating the fight
can be and no matter how much we wish the war was over, the security of our
country depends directly on the outcome in Iraq. The price of giving up
there would be paid in American lives for years to come. It would be an
unforgivable mistake for leaders in Washington to allow politics and
impatience to stand in the way of protecting the American people.

Last November, the American people said they were frustrated and wanted a
change in our strategy in Iraq. I listened. Today, General David Petraeus
is carrying out a strategy that is dramatically different from our previous
course. The American people did not vote for failure, and that is precisely
what the Democratic leadership's bill would guarantee.

It's not too late for Congress to do the right thing and to send me a bill
that gives our troops and the commanders the funds and flexibility they
need. I'm willing to meet with leaders in Congress as many times as it
takes to resolve our differences. Yet, if the Democratic leaders insist on
using the bill to make a political statement, they will leave me with only
one option: I will veto it. And then I'll work with Congress to pass a
clean bill that funds our troops without handcuffing our commanders,
spending billions of dollars unrelated to the war, and forcing our nation
to withdraw on the enemy's terms.

Thank you.

END 11:20 A.M. EDT

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