John Edwards for President-Edwards Response To Troop Withdrawal Announcement By President Bush

Edwards Response To Troop Withdrawal Announcement By President Bush

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – In response to President Bush's announcement that he will withdraw 30,000 troops from Iraq by next summer, Senator John Edwards released the following statement:

"President Bush has stated that he will withdraw 30,000 troops by next summer. The truth is that because the president's Iraq policy has brought our military close to the breaking point, these forces would have been withdrawn anyway—unless the president planned to extend tours to an unconscionable 18 months. The president taking credit for this withdrawal is like taking credit for gravity.

"It's time to end this sad game of excuses and Beltway double-talk. Last November, the American people voted for real change in Iraq, but instead the president has clung to the status quo and Congress has caved. For over a year, I have called for an immediate withdrawal of 40-50,000 troops—not by next summer, but today—to jump-start the comprehensive political solution that will end the violence in Iraq and allow a complete troop withdrawal within a year. In the face of the president's irresponsible tactics, Congress must stand united and say with one voice: No timetable, no funding. No excuses."