October 4,
2007
Dear Ms. Conover,
Thank you for sharing your views regarding the situation
in Iraq. It is important for me to hear
your views, and I appreciate you taking the time to contact me.
More than 3,700
brave U.S. servicemen and women have given their lives in Iraq, almost 28,000
have been wounded, and nearly $565 billion has been appropriated by Congress for
military operations to date. As
documented in a series of expert reports this year, the situation in Iraq is a
tragedy - for America, for our brave troops, for Iraqis, and for prospect of
Middle East peace.
We owe our troops,
their families, American taxpayers and our allies a serious plan to re-deploy
our forces and turn control of the country over to a functioning Iraqi
government. Instead, the President prefers to stay the course
indefinitely-at the expense of our brave troops and $3.0 billion being spent
each week in Iraq
Last January,
President Bush told the American people that this year's surge of troops would
reduce violence and buy time for an Iraqi political solution. Instead, as the non-partisan Government
Accountability Office (GAO) has reported, the time bought with American lives
and money has been squandered. According to the GOA, the Iraqi government has
only met three of the 18 benchmarks set by the President and Congress. We are no
closer to a political solution that will bring an end to the violence, yet the
President insists the surge is working.
In addition, the burden of the disaster in Iraq prevents
us from refocusing our efforts on the real threat that is facing America --
fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, tracking down Osama bin Laden, and preventing
another terrorist attack against America.
Military leaders have stated that our forces are
"stretched thin" and that the current level of troop commitment to Iraq is
unsustainable and politically unwise. As a result, there is growing concern at
the Pentagon that our military will not be able to adequately respond to a
terrorist attack or threat here at home. Moreover, the Administration's plan to
reduce troops to pre-surge levels by the summer of 2008 is merely a token
gesture stemming more from the lack of available troops than from a new
strategic direction.
I have consistently voted to keep our
troops well-armed and supplied throughout our fight against terrorists in
Afghanistan and elsewhere. I have voted to continue operations in Iraq with
strategic benchmarks and oversight. And I have consistently voted to raise the
standard of medical care for our active duty personnel and
veterans.
But
after years of failure and diversion from our primary mission, it is time for a
change in strategy. I stand with the majority of Americans and the majority of
those in my district who believe that giving the President another blank check
to recklessly continue pursuing a failed policy is unconscionable. Consequently,
I voted against the latest emergency war supplement funding bill (HR 2206). I
believe it only extends this nation's greatest foreign policy
disaster.
Simply put, it is long past time for our involvement in
this tragic episode to come to an end. The Iraqi people are the only ones that can bring a peaceful conclusion
to this war. It is unfair to ask our troops and their families to continue to
sacrifice while Iraqi leaders have done so little to achieve the political and
security goals asked of them. Therefore, it is imperative that we begin the
gradual redeployment of troops as soon as possible to protect their lives and
ensure the safety of America.
Our troops continue to make America very proud while
serving in harm's way. They deserve a better strategy than this Administration
has proposed thus far. In the months to
come, I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to pressure the
President to change his failed course in Iraq and bring his misguided war to an
end.
Thank you again for sharing your views. If I can be of further assistance, please do
not hesitate to contact me. For more
information and to find out about other important issues that I am working on in
Congress, I urge you to visit my website at www.house.gov/timbishop.
Sincerely,
Timothy Bishop
Member of Congress
TB/WJ
