Media

CLYBURN ON ADMINISTRATION'S BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT REPORT ON IRAQ

Washington, D.C. -- House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today responded to the Bush Administration's Benchmark Assessment Report on Iraq which found that little progress has been made to meet benchmarks for success.

"Between the President's speech last night and today's report on Iraq, it is clear that the President is determined to establish a decades-long presence in Iraq. Despite the clear evidence that the Iraqi government has failed to make the necessary political progress and deliver on 15 of 18 benchmarks outlined by the Bush Administration, the President wants to establish a permanent presence or 'enduring relationship' in Iraq, continuing to sacrifice an unacceptable level of American blood and treasure.

A quick look at the past week's Iraq related events yields some interesting numbers. From President Bush's repeated use of the word strategy (5 times) while offering no new strategy, to Minority Leader Boehner's declaration that 3,775 American dead is a "small price to pay," Republicans once again showed Americans that they just don't get it:

0 = Number of times Bush said the word "victory" in his speech last night, despite the fact that "for more than four years since the invasion of Iraq, President Bush most often has defined his objective there with a single, stirring word: 'Victory.'" [LA Times, 9/14/07]

"President Bush is committed to 10 more years of war in Iraq at a cost of untold lives lost and hundreds of billions of dollars to American taxpayers, even though today's White House report admits little progress has been made by the Iraqi government.

"The redeployment of our troops cannot be delayed by the failure of the Iraqi government to achieve the political and economic benchmarks established by the Bush Administration. The American people reject the President's 10-year war in Iraq and want a responsible redeployment to end this war."

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THE PRESIDENT'S 10-YEAR WAR IN IRAQ:

House Labor Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Extending Medical Leave to Military Families

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Workforce Protections Subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 2:00 p.m. on the struggle of military working families who take time from their jobs to either care for a wounded loved one or deal with a military deployment. The hearing will also explore legislative solutions by expanding the Family Medical Leave Act to include military families.

WHAT: Hearing on "The Family and Medical Leave Act: Extending Coverage to Military Families Left at Home?"

WHO: U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT)