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Blog Post
September 13, 2007
Tonight, President Bush outlined a status quo strategy that leaves at least 130,000 American soldiers in harm's way as part of a 10-year occupation of Iraq.

The American people reject the President's call for an 'enduring relationship' with Iraq that is based on leaving our troops in the middle of a deadly civil war for at least 10 years. The President failed to answer how maintaining 130,000 soldiers in Iraq would strengthen our military, make us safer, or how he would pay for its additional $700 billion cost.

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas, a Vietnam combat veteran and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered the Spanish language response to President Bush's speech to the nation tonight on Iraq. En español>>

Transcript:

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer released the following statement tonight in response to the President's speech:

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
Senator Jack Reed tonight delivered the Democratic response to President Bush's address to the nation on Iraq:

Transcript:

Good evening.

I'm Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island, and I was privileged to serve in the United States Army for 12 years.

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
Tonight, the President will announce his so-called new plan for Iraq -- more time, more money, more patience, and a renewed commitment of U.S. troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future. But the plan is just another stay-the-course strategy that puts us on a path for 10 years of war in Iraq.

Fact-checking parts of the President's remarks (as prepared for delivery):

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
The House Democratic Caucus Communications Office released the following chart this afternoon in anticipation of the President's address to the nation to outline his so-called new plan for Iraq:

The President's previous addresses to the nation regarding Iraq have been filled with slogans and rosy predictions that failed to come true. We don't know what slogan we will hear this evening, but a review of slogans past is included below.

BUSH ADMIN SLOGAN

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
Tonight President Bush is expected to announce to the American people that he will keep at least 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq -- same level as before he announced his "surge" strategy in January.

THIS POLICY SAME AS THE OLD POLICY

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a former Army Ranger and a member of the Armed Services Committee, will give the official Democratic response of the House and Senate to President Bush's address to the nation tonight on the war in Iraq.

Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas, a Vietnam combat veteran and Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will give the Spanish language response to President Bush's speech.

WHO: Senator Jack Reed, Senior Member, Senate Armed Services Committee

Blog Post
September 13, 2007
Tonight, the President is expected to announce a stay-the-course strategy that puts us on a path for 10 years of war in Iraq.

The President's war in Iraq has dangerously overstretched our military, left America less protected against terrorism, and more vulnerable as other global threats emerge -- all at the cost of nearly $1 trillion to the taxpayers. In his testimony before Congress this week, even General David Petraeus could not explain how the Iraq war has made us safer.

Given these facts, the President owes the American people honest answers to the following questions:

Blog Post
September 12, 2007
Yesterday Chairman Conyers of the Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell in advance of his testimony before the Committee next week to discuss changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).