Bush Still Has No Plan for Iraq

Today, President Bush again failed to recognize the changing reality on the ground in Iraq, reiterating instead his ongoing commitment to a failed strategy in the region. The President distorted the Democratic position on the war and national security, using the politics of fear to distract from his failed policies and his Party's floundering electoral prospects this November. Democrats believe we need a new direction in Iraq that is both tough and smart. Democrats do not believe we should be occupying a nation sliding into civil war and instead support the phased redeployment of troops so we can better fight the real global war on terror in places like Afghanistan, where we're seeing a resurgence of the Taliban, and to close the gaps in our security here at home.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today issued the following statement responding to the President's continued failure to provide a plan for success in Iraq:

"President Bush clearly has no plan for Iraq. His rhetoric of fear and his refusal to acknowledge the facts on the ground in Iraq are continuing to make America less safe," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "The American people understand that the United States should not be occupying a country in the midst of civil war and want real answers about our plan for success in Iraq. Instead, the President continues to offer a permanent commitment to a failed strategy, and a permanent commitment to distorting the tough and smart agenda for real security that Democrats are offering. The occupation in Iraq is costing American lives and hampering our ability to fight the real global war on terror against al Qaeda and the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, not to mention dealing with the threats posed by Iran and North Korea. Democrats believe we need a new direction in Iraq that is both tough and smart, and will fight the real war on terror here at home and around the globe."

July 2006: More Than 110 Iraqis Killed Daily on Average, Deadliest Month of War for Iraqi Civilians, Most Dangerous for American Troops. According to figures from the Health Ministry and the Baghdad morgue, July 2006 appeared to have been the deadliest month of the war for Iraqi civilians. An average of more than 110 Iraqis were killed each day in July, according to the figures. The total number of civilian deaths, 3,438, was a nine percent increase over the tally in June and nearly double the toll in January. The rising numbers, according to the New York Times, suggested that sectarian violence is spiraling out of control, and seemed to bolster an assertion many senior analysts have made in recent months: that the country is already embroiled in a civil war, not just slipping toward one, and that the American-led forces are caught between Sunni Arab guerillas and Shiite militias." While the number of Americans killed in action per month has declined slightly - to 38 killed in action in July, from 42 in January - the number of Americans wounded has soared, to 518 in July from 287 in January. [New York Times, 8/16/06, 8/17/06]

Washington Post: The South Is "Spiraling Into an Abyss of Violence." The Washington Post wrote, "the Shiite-dominated south appears to be spiraling into an abyss of violence, fueled largely by power struggles within the religious sect." [Washington Post, 8/17/06]

"The Insurgency Has Gotten Worse By Almost All Measures." A senior Defense Department official who wouldn't be named said, "The insurgency has gotten worse by almost all measures, with insurgent attacks at historically high levels...The insurgency has more public support and is demonstrably more capable in numbers of people active and in its ability to direct violence than at any point in time." [New York Times, 8/17/06]

Generals Raised Fears Of Iraq Civil War. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on August 3, 2006, Generals Abizaid and Pace both expressed fears that Iraq was headed towards a civil war. Responding to questions about escalations in violence in recent weeks, General John Abizaid admitted that "Iraq could move toward civil war." He described the sectarian violence as "probably as bad as I have seen it[.]" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff concurred with Abizaid's assessment that Iraq was in danger of civil war on its current path. Pace said at the hearing, "We do have the possibility of that devolving into civil war." While Pace indicated that he did not see this path developing one year ago, Abizaid admitted that the trend has been consistent, saying that it was obvious one year ago that sectarian violence was on the rise. [Associated Press, 8/3/06]

Britain's Outgoing Ambassador To Iraq Said "Civil War" And "Division" Of Iraq Was More Likely Than A "Stable Democracy." William Patey, the outgoing British Ambassador to Iraq, wrote in his final diplomatic telegram Iraq would likely fall into civil war. Patey wrote: "The prospect of a low intensity civil war and a de facto division of Iraq is probably more likely at this stage than a successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy." According to Reuters, the statement "gives a far more pessimistic assessment for prospects in Iraq than Britain has disclosed in public." [BBC News, 8/3/06; Reuters, 8/3/06]

Former Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Said Iraq Was In Civil War. Iyad Allawi former Interim Iraqi Prime Minister and leader of the Iraqi National List a secular nationalist party made up of Sunnis and Shiites said that Iraq was already in a civil war. Allawi said, "It is unfortunate that we are in civil war. We are losing each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." [BBC, 3/19/06]

National Intelligence Estimate Warned In 2003 Of the Strength of the Insurgency and the Possibility for Civil War. "U.S. intelligence agencies repeatedly warned the White House beginning more than two years ago that the insurgency in Iraq had deep local roots, was likely to worsen and could lead to civil war, according to former senior intelligence officials who helped craft the reports." [San Jose Mercury News, 3/1/06]

9/11 COMMISSIONER THOMAS KEANE: "We're Not As Safe As We Should Be." In an interview on "Meet the Press", Hamilton said, "When you and I go to the airport, there still is not a unified watch list. There should be. We should know everybody who's getting on that plane. If any agency has any problems with them, they shouldn't be allowed to get on the plane. . We still haven't got the proper technology for screening baggage. . The Congress simply has not given the agency dollars to put those things into effect. But those are major steps that no should be taken at the airports. Until they're done, we're not as safe as we should be." ["Meet the Press", NBC, 8/13/06]

9/11 COMMISSIONER LEE HAMILTON: "We Are Not As Safe As We Should Be." In an interview on "Meet the Press", Keane said "I'm still nervous about it [the possibility of an attack]. I think we are not as safe as we should be five years after the event." ["Meet the Press", NBC, 8/13/06]

9/11 Commission Gave F's And D's To The Bush Administration. The 9/11 Commission gave the Bush Administration 5 F's and 12 D's on the implementation of the Commission's recommendations for homeland security. [Final Report on 9/11 Commission Recommendations, 12/05]

AIRPORT SECURITY: Still No Unified Terrorist Watch List. There remains no unified terrorist watch list for screening airline passengers. In its December 2005 report card, the 9/11 Commission gave the Administration a failing grade for its efforts to improve passenger pre-screening, noting that "few improvements have been made to the existing passenger screening system since right after 9/11. The completion of the testing phase of TSA's pre-screening program for airline passengers has been delayed. A new system, utilizing all names on the consolidated terrorist watch list, is therefore not yet in operation." While $130 million has been spent on the Secure Flight program - a system that would match airline passengers against terrorist watch lists - the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that it remains in development and faces considerable management and oversight challenges. The TSA is in the process of reassessing the viability of Secure Flight, after suspending the program in March due to security and privacy concerns. [9/11 Public Discourse Project, December 2005; govexec.com, 6/25/06]

PORTS: Screening Technology at U.S. Ports Still Inadequate. "The radiation-detection technology currently used in the world's ports by the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection Agency is not adequately capable of detecting a nuclear weapon or a lightly shielded dirty bomb.The flaws in detection technology require the Pentagon's counterproliferation teams to physically board container ships at sea to determine if they are carrying weapons of mass destruction. Even if there were enough trained boarding teams to perform these inspections on a regular basis -- and there are not -- there is still the practical problem of inspecting the contents of cargo containers at sea.This factor, when added to the sheer number of containers on each ship -- upwards of 3,000 -- guarantees that in the absence of very detailed intelligence, inspectors will be able to perform only the most superficial of examinations." ["Port Security is Still a House of Cards," Stephen E. Flynn, Far Eastern Economic Review, Jan./Feb 2006]

BORDERS: Millions Wasted On Inadequate Border Security Efforts. Millions of tax dollars have been wasted as a result of failed border security technology initiatives that have been undertaken by the Department - the Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System and the America's Shield Initiatives. The Administration has failed to provide promised funding for Border Patrol agents (20 percent short), detention bed spaces (20 percent short), and the Immigration and Customs agent resources called for by the 9/11 Act (75 percent short). ["The State of Homeland Security, 2006" prepared by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security; 2/06]

FIRST RESPONDERS: Emergency Preparedness Still Inadequate. The President's budget for 2007 proposed to cut $612 million from first responder grants and training programs. The budget cuts funding levels for programs designed to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by more than $1 billion compared to FY 2006, the Firefighters Grant Program was cut by 50 percent, and the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, which trains first responders, was cut by 66 percent. In addition, the President's 2007 budget requested no funding to enhance interoperable communications. ["The State of Homeland Security, 2006" prepared by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security; 2/06]

RAIL AND TRANSIT SECURITY: Bush Has Not Improved Rail and Transit Security. Terrorist groups have already targeted surface transportation for attacks, including the attack on a Moscow Metro rail car in 2004, a coordinated series of 10 explosions on four commuter trains in Madrid that same year, and a coordinated series of four explosions on three London subway trains and one bus in 2005. Despite this, the TSA budget dedicates only 1 percent of the department's funding to surface transportation security. The budget also eliminates dedicated grants used by public transportation systems to increase security, forcing surface transportation to compe te with ports and other critical infrastructure for funding. ["The State of Homeland Security, 2006" prepared by the Democratic Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security; 2/06]