Pelosi: 'President's Resolve on Iraq May be Firm, But His Plan Remains Woefully Inadequate'

April 14, 2004

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the news conference held by President Bush last night:

"From the outset, the President’s Iraq policy has had little basis in reality. In a country supposedly brimming with weapons of mass destruction, none has been found. Our troops continue to be met with rockets, not roses as the Bush Administration claimed, and we have lost more than 670 lives. The Administration insisted that Iraq's oil revenues could finance rebuilding the country, but the people of the United States have provided more than $120 billion thus far, much of it for reconstruction efforts.

"Last night, the President had a chance to reveal a realistic plan for returning sovereignty to the Iraqi people, which is to occur in less than 80 days. He did not do so. He offered no information about the character and composition of the new government, or the rules under which U.S. forces will operate after June 30.

"As signs of progress, the President pointed to making greater use of the United Nations and involving nations in the region more fully, but he ignored the fact that the situation on the ground would likely be much more favorable today if these steps had been taken before the war started.

"The growing number of American casualties demands a more carefully crafted and more clearly explained policy than the one that was on display last night. The President's resolve may be firm, but his plan remains woefully inadequate."

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