Washington, DC - Congressman Edolphus Towns, 10th Congressional District New York, is expressing his disappointment in the Bush Administration's decision to increase troop levels in Iraq instead of setting a date certain to bring American service men and women home.

"President Bush says he wants to let the Iraqis lead their own country.  The chances of that are minimal if American troops remain in Iraq.  The Iraqi people have no incentive to step up and take control with the American military still at the helm," said Congressman Towns.

In June, President Bush announced a new plan for securing Baghdad by increasing the presence of Iraqi Security Forces.  That plan failed.  In July, the White House announced that additional American troops would be sent to Baghdad.  By October, U.S. military spokesman, General William Caldwell acknowledged that the operation and troop increase was a failure and had not met overall expectations of sustaining a reduction in the levels of violence.

Several of President Bush's own advisors have commented that we are losing the war in Iraq.  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell stated "we are losing;" Defense Secretary Robert Gates admitted during his confirmation hearings that "we aren't winning;" and Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in a memo leaked several weeks ago, recognized that "Iraq is going badly" and put out a laundry list of potential options that we may have to consider including multiparty negotiations modeled on those that ended the war in Bosnia.

"The people of the 10th Congressional District made it very clear during the November midterm elections that they wanted changes in Iraq.  There have been 137 New Yorkers killed and more than 1,000 New Yorkers wounded in this war.  The President's plan does nothing to provide lasting security for the Iraqis.  This is not what the American people are asking for, nor what the American military needs."

"It is time to face the reality that a multiethnic, integrated, democratic Iraq is not attainable.  It is time to bring our troops home," said Congressman Towns.

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