Pelosi Statement on Bush Administration Plans to Keep Pre-Surge Level of U.S. Troops in Iraq

February 11, 2008

Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on remarks in Baghdad today by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in which he said he would pause troop withdrawals from Iraq this summer, keeping the number at the pre-surge level:

'Months before General David Petraeus offers his scheduled Congressional testimony on Iraq, Defense Secretary Defense Robert Gates and the Bush Administration have already delivered their verdict about security conditions in Iraq. According to them, Iraq will not be secure enough five months from now to permit any more than the 'surge' forces to be withdrawn. That means that there will be the same number of U.S. troops in Iraq in August 2008 as were there in August 2006.

'The stated purpose of the surge was to create a secure time for the government of Iraq to make the political change needed to bring about reconciliation. Despite the courage, dedication, and success of our troops, the Iraqi government has failed to come even close to achieving that goal.

'Our generals have issued dire warnings that the war in Iraq has seriously undermined our nation's military readiness, and is therefore making our nation less secure. Yet the President's Iraq policy has set the stage for a 10-year, trillion dollar war. The American people want a New Direction in Iraq.'