| Washington, DC -- Congressman Chris Murphy (CT-5) released the following statement on President Bush’s intention to call for an escalation of as many as 20,000 troops in Iraq. Various news agencies have reported that the central policy recommendation of Bush’s new plan for Iraq will be a dramatic increase in troops in and around Baghdad. Bush will present his new policy proposal in a speech to the American public tomorrow night.
“I am adamantly opposed to the President’s plan to send as many as 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. Escalating the war in Iraq is shortsighted and wrongheaded. In reality, it will simply put more American lives at risk with no guarantee to bring them home safely and in a timely manner. Temporary escalation provides no path toward long-term stability in Iraq.
“The American people oppose escalation. Our nation’s top military leaders oppose escalation. And our nation’s top foreign policy experts oppose escalation. Congress should listen to this overwhelming hegemony of opinion and oppose President Bush’s plan. The American public expects this Congress to perform its Constitutional duty to oversee the President’s conduct in Iraq, and for the first time since the outset of the war, we will carry out that responsibility.
“This issue is so important that I feel I need to speak up now. In the coming days, I know I will be joined by dozens of other Members who feel the same way. Escalation of this war will only bring more suffering and greater mismanagement. Instead, we should start working on a responsible policy for transitioning the control of Iraq to the Iraqis today.”
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