No
more Iraq war money without clear exit strategy
As the Senate debates the $81 billion
war supplemental, speak out! No permanent bases. A
timeline to exit.
April
2005
The
U.S. Senate begins debating the $81 billion war supplemental
this week. This money should be used to ensure that
the U.S. is moving toward a real exit strategy in
Iraq: No permanent bases. A timeline to exit.
Since
the U.S. invaded Iraq with a preemptive attack on
March 19, 2003:
- over 1500 service members have been killed
- more than 11,000 have been wounded in action
- the
Congressional Budget Office estimates the continuing
occupation is costing taxpayers an average of $9 billion
per month (at a time when the U.S. does not have enough
money to provide for basic human needs at home).
Poll
of Americans shows majority in favor of troop withdrawal
A
bi-partisan poll in April showed that 59% of Americans
believe that Bush does not have a clear plan for withdrawal
from Iraq and a huge 69% -- including 62% of Republicans
-- think it is important that the Bush Administration
have such a clear plan.
WESTHILL
PARTNERS/HOTLINE
Conducted 3/31-4/3 by Ed Reilly (D) and Ed Rollins
(R); surveyed 800 regis. voters nationwide; margin
of error +/- 3.5% (release, 4/6). * indicates
split sample A. ** indicates split sample B.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way George
W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq? Do
you approve/disapprove strongly or somewhat?
All Rep Ind Dem
24% 57% 18% 3% Strongly approve
17% 18% 22% 11% Somewhat approve
9% 4% 10% 13% Somewhat disapprove
45% 15% 48% 67% Strongly disapprove
5% 6% 2% 6% Don't know/Refused (vol.)
(Asked of half-sample) Do you think the Bush Administration
does or does not have a clear plan for eventually
withdrawing most U.S. troops from Iraq?
All Rep Ind Dem
29% 61% 23% 10% Does
59% 26% 67% 82% Does not
12% 13% 10% 8% Don't know/Refused (vol.)
(Asked of half-sample) Do you think it is important
that the Bush Administration have a clear plan
today for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq?
All Rep Ind Dem
69% 62% 69% 79% Yes
24% 27% 25% 19% No
7% 11% 6% 2% Don't know/Refused (vol.) |
MORE
READING
Two
Years After the Invasion: Iraq by the Numbers
March 18, 2005 | Center
for American Progress
Two
years after U.S. troops invaded Iraq and achieved
a swift military victory, our armed forces and the
people of Iraq are facing a dangerous and unstable
situation.
There
has been good news: January's election, this month's
inaugural session of the National Assembly, and strides
in education stand out. But for every step forward
there have been two steps back: U.S. troop presence
in Iraq is at an all-time high, and the Army and Marines
are stretched as never before.
American
taxpayers are spending almost $7 billion every month
to maintain our presence in Iraq and Iraqi citizens
are dying in attacks that come almost daily. Reconstruction
of the country proceeds at a glacial pace. The following
numbers help tell the story.
Excerpts
below; for the full chart, click
here.
200
| Lowest estimated number in billions of
U.S. taxpayers dollars that have been spent on the
war in Iraq
152,000 | Estimated number of troops
currently deployed in Iraq
1,511 | U.S. troops
killed in Iraq since the invasion
11,285 | Americans wounded since
the invasion was launched two years ago
21,100-39,300 | Estimated number
of Iraqi civilians killed since the invasion by violence
from war and crime
70 | Daily average number of insurgent
attacks on coalition forces in February 2005
14 | Daily average number of insurgent
attacks on coalition forces in February 2004
0 | Number of active Army combat
units deployed to Iraq that have received the required
year-long break from active duty required by Pentagon
rules
15 | Percent of military personnel,
according to GAO, who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan,
who could develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Iraq:
The Logic of Disengagement
Edward N. Luttwak, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies.
From Foreign Affairs, January/February
2005: click here
Summary:
The best strategy for the United States now
in Iraq is disengagement. In a reversal of
the usual sequence, the U.S. hand will be strengthened
by withdrawal, and Washington might actually be able
to lay the groundwork for a reasonably stable Iraq.
Why? Because geography ensures that all other parties
are far more exposed to the dangers of an anarchical
Iraq than is the United States itself.
