Statement of Hillary Clinton on the Fourth Anniversary of President Bush Declaring 'Mission Accomplished'

The following is a statement by Senator Hillary Clinton:

"Today is the fourth anniversary of what I consider to be one of the most shameful episodes in American history.

"Never before in our history has a President said ‘mission accomplished’ when the mission had barely begun.  Never before has a President landed on the deck of an aircraft carrier to proclaim the end of major combat operations to a war that rages on four years later. Never before has a President pulled a political stunt when so many American lives were and remain in harm’s way.

"The President took us to a preemptive war of his choosing based on his assessment of faulty evidence and trumped up facts. He ignored the warnings of senior military advisors and he retaliated against those who tried to stop him.  And once he got the authority to put inspectors back into Iraq, he ignored their findings. It is something that will stand as one of the darkest blots on leadership we’ve ever had in our nation’s history.

"America is ready for a President who will respect our Armed Forces by properly planning for the missions we ask our troops to undertake.  America is ready to end this war and when I am President, that’s exactly what I’ll do."

DODD STATEMENT ON FOUR-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" SPEECH

Senator and Presidential candidate Chris Dodd issued the following statement on the fourth anniversary of President Bush's speech declaring an end to major combat operations in Iraq:

"Four years ago today, President Bush stood before a banner declaring 'Mission Accomplished.' Like many of his claims about the justification for going to war in Iraq, that turned out not to be the case. Indeed, his failure to have a plan to win the peace once Saddam Hussein was deposed is why our men and women in uniform are still putting their lives on the line for a failed policy. President Bush seems intent on exacerbating that failure by vetoing a bill that would change course in Iraq and end U.S. military involvement in Iraq's civil war.

The time has come for clarity and a new mission: To end the war in Iraq, to bring our troops home, and to begin restoring America's standing in the world. This is a mission America must accomplish, and the President should take a strong first step by rethinking his decision to veto the bill.

If the President does veto the bill, the Congress should send the Feingold-Reid legislation to his desk immediately."
 
 

EDWARDS STATEMENT ON "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" ANNIVERSARY

Chapel Hill, North Carolina - Later today at a town hall meeting in Seattle, Washington, Senator John Edwards will open his remarks with the following statement about the fourth anniversary of President Bush declaring "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.

"Four years ago, President Bush flew onto the deck of the U.S.S. Lincoln under a 'Mission Accomplished' banner to declare victory in Iraq, but all the photo ops in the world can't hide the truth - his disastrous mismanagement of the war has left our troops in harm's way and made Iraq a breeding ground for terrorists.

"Now, the American people have given Congress a mission to end the war, but it hasn't been accomplished yet.  President Bush has said he plans to veto the Iraq funding bill that Congress sent him.  When the President vetoes the bill, it is George Bush who is not supporting our troops, and nobody else.  Congress needs to stand firm and strong. When Bush vetoes the bill, Congress should send him another bill with a timetable for withdrawal and if he vetoes that one, Congress should send him another and another until we end this war and bring our troops home.

"There is no military solution to the conflict in Iraq - only a political solution.  The Iraqi people need to take responsibility for their own country.  Under my plan, we would cap funding at 100,000 troops to stop the McCain Doctrine of escalation and force an immediate withdrawal of 40-50,000 troops, followed by a complete withdrawal in 12-18 months.  Now is not the time for political calculation, it is the time for political courage.  Every person who is against this war needs to speak out, so together we can bring an end to the quagmire that is Iraq."
 

To learn more about Edwards' plan to end the war in Iraq, please see the fact sheet below.  [ed.- not included]
 
 

Obama Statement on the Anniversary of the “ Mission Accomplished” Speech
 
Chicago, IL- Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement on the Anniversary of the "Mission Accomplished" Speech.

 
“Four years after President Bush landed on an aircraft carrier and declared ‘Mission Accomplished,’ we are still in a war where more than one hundred American service members have died in just the month of April.  We grieve for them today and urge the President to avoid making another tragic mistake by signing the bill that will end this war and bring our troops home. "

“We are now one signature away from ending this war.  The majority of the American people and their Congress now agree that there is no military solution to the conflict in Iraq, and that the best way to pressure the warring factions to reach a political settlement that can end this war is still a phased withdrawal of American forces with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 30th, 2008.  It is time to end this war so we can bring our troops home and redeploy our forces to help fight the broader struggle against terrorism and other threats of this new century.”