Edwards Statement On GAO Report On Iraq

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement about today's report in "The Washington Post" about a Government Accountability Office Report on Iraq that is to be delivered to Congress next week.

"Today, it became clearer than ever that the Bush Administration is living in a fantasy world when it comes to Iraq. While weeks ago the Pentagon said the Iraq government had met 8 of 18 benchmarks in Iraq, we learned today that an independent Government Accountability Office analysis Congress will receive next week found that the Iraq government has actually only met 3 of 18 benchmarks, and that the disintegration of the al-Maliki government - with 15 of 37 ministers recently resigning - threatens to bring Iraq to a halt entirely.

"This isn't a political game - it's a war. And brave soldiers are dying every day for the administration's failure to be straight with the American people. The D.C. double-talk has to stop, and we have to get Iraq back on track to the comprehensive political solution that will stabilize the country. The White House's report on Iraq is due in two weeks. It must contain the facts on Iraq, and it must represent the full range of opinion from both military and expert civilian professionals about the situation in Iraq.

"For over a year, I have called for an immediate withdrawal of 40,000 - 50,000 troops to jump-start the political solution that will ultimately resolve the situation in Iraq. Leading figures including General Peter Pace and Senator John Warner have recently echoed my call for an immediate withdrawal of some troops.

"When Congress returns next week the message to the Bush Administration must clear and strong, without equivocation: no timetable, no funding, no excuses. Congress must act to stop the rhetoric, start the results, and bringing our brave troops home to the heroes' welcome they deserve. This fall, they must use their constitutional funding power to stop the surge and implement a timetable. And if the president vetoes that bill, they should send it back to him, again and again, as many times as it takes for him to finally get the message."