Cross-posted from Blue Jersey
Five years ago today, President Bush triumphantly -- and erroneously -- declared "mission accomplished" on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln while standing in front of a big banner as part of a PR stunt hatched by Karl Rove. He went on to proclaim that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. But since President Bush made that pronouncement, almost 4,000 additional American troops have lost their lives. And close to 30,000 have been seriously wounded in action.
Each month, President Bush continues to spend $12 billion on a war that should never have been waged and with no exit strategy to get our troops out of harm's way. The war in Iraq has failed to make us safer and al Qaeda has only grown stronger. Now, 3,000 additional members of the New Jersey National Guard alone are scheduled to deploy to Iraq this summer. This is the largest deployment of our state's Guardsmen since World War II.
As they have throughout or nation's history, America's brave men and women in uniform have served our country with honor. They have done all that has been asked of them and have performed magnificently. But, five years after President Bush callously declared "mission accomplished," it is time to begin the work of bringing our troops home -- safely and soon. It's time to send a message to Iraq's government and its people that we will help, but that it is their responsibility to chart their own nation's future. It is time that we demand timetables to bring American troops home safely within a year.
This is a war that a majority of Americans disagree with. It is a war that I have disagreed with from the start. And when I go to Congress, I will fight to bring our troops home.
As too many families grieve over loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq, the hard-earned tax dollars of New Jersey families continue to fund the failed policies of the Bush administration. Meanwhile, we are dangerously neglecting American priorities here at home. With more than $3 trillion spent in total on the war, our schools, hospitals, bridges and military readiness have all suffered.
New Jersey's 7th District taxpayers have already paid $2.4 billion to fund the war to-date. For the same amount of money, 223, 821 people could have received healthcare for one year; or 3,411,864 homes could have been powered with renewable electricity for one year; or 41,621 public safety officer salaries could have been funded for one year; or 244,770 college scholarships could have been funded for one year.
The burden on 7th District families doesn't stop there. Proposed fiscal year 2008 spending calling for $390.8 million in additional money from the district's taxpayers. For the same amount of money, 35,882 people could receive healthcare one year; or 546,981 homes could be powered with renewable electricity for one year; or 6,673 public safety officer salaries could be funded for one year; or 39,241 college scholarships could be funded for one year.
It's time to bring our troops home and end our country's military involvement in Iraq. America is on the brink of recession, and too many families are forced to choose between paying for healthcare or filling up a tank of gas.
With your help, I will go to Congress and fight to bring our troops home, so we can again focus on making America stronger.