Murray on Bush Speech: Like Vietnam, No Clear Plan for Success in Iraq Threatens our Men and Women in Uniform

(Washington D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after President Bush’s speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in which he drew comparisons between Vietnam and the Iraq War.



“The President’s comparison is correct in one respect – the Vietnam War was a war without a clear strategy for success much like the Iraq War is today. As this Administration continues to risk the lives of more American men and women, they still have no plan to bring about the diplomatic accords necessary for any measure of progress. This rudderless approach has hurt our ability to fight terrorists around the world, and is the reason we need to change our mission in Iraq, re-focus on fighting terrorism and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.



“I know the impact of the Vietnam War on our fighting men and women.  Working in the Seattle VA in the early ‘70s I saw the struggles of returning services members who were deeply impacted by the mental and physical wounds of that war.  By insisting that our service members continue to battle in the middle of an Iraqi civil war, the President is threatening one of our greatest assets — the strengths and abilities of our men and women in uniform.  We can all be proud that our country is home to the finest fighting force in the world. But we must also face the truth: the war in Iraq is impairing our military’s readiness.



“Our nation’s veterans know better than anyone the impact of war – I just hope that the President will finally start to listen to these heroic veterans and finally start to take our obligation to our returning troops seriously.”