thedrifter
07-14-07, 07:08 AM
Vet to give response to Bush radio address
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jul 14, 2007 0:00:50 EDT
An Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran will give the Democratic response on July 14 to President Bush’s weekly radio aggress, expressing disagreement with the administration’s Iraq policies.
According to the text of the veteran’s remarks made available July 13, Brandon Friedman, a former infantry officer, will say: “It is time for the president and those in his party, including those running to be the next commander-in-chief, to support changing the mission in Iraq. For the sake of our national security, we must begin bringing the troops home.”
President Bush’s radio remarks were not available in advance of his address.
Friedman says in his remarks that he stayed away from politics while in the military, but “now I can no longer remain silent as our commander-in-chief continually mismanages and degrades the military I have come to love.”
“The escalation of the Iraq war is failing, and now the mission must change,” Friedman says, according to the statement. “President Bush is keeping our already overextended troops in the middle of a civil war instead of deferring to military leaders who agree that we need to transition the mission to focus on a political solution — not a military one.”
Friedman was a rifle platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2002 involved in Operation Anaconda and commanded a heavy weapons platoon during the invasion of Iraq.
Democrats picked him to give the radio address after a week in which majorities in the House and Senate voted to change the administration’s Iraq policies. But the results also showed that there are not enough Republicans votes to provide any hope of overriding an almost certain presidential veto.
Friedman, active in VoteVets.org, a Democratic-leaning group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, says the surge isn’t working.
“The Iraqi government has met none of the critical political or economic benchmarks they set for themselves,” he said.
“The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide — as evidenced by the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and al-Qaida has been able to rebuild,” Friedman says. “We need an effective offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad. And the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the middle of this civil war in Iraq.”
Two major veterans groups, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, have issued statements supporting the Bush strategy and asking Congress to hold off on legislation until September, when a report is due on the effectiveness of the troop surge.
Gary Kurpius, a Vietnam veteran and national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, urged Congress to be patient.
“The September assessment report by Army General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, is the key, not yesterday’s interim report card,” Kurpius said, referring to a new lukewarm assessment of the Iraqi government’s fitful progress on achieving the political and security goals laid out by the Congress in the legislation currently funding combat operations in Iraq.
“Democracy is something that America has been working on for 231 years,” Kurpius said in a statement. “Yet we expect overnight success from a people who are as inexperienced with freedom as Americans would be under a dictatorship. The Iraqis have significant challenges ahead, yet they want to succeed, and they know they need America’s help.”
The American Legion took a much harsher tone, using the words “Operation Turncoat” to refer to a Thursday vote in the House for a withdrawal of combat troops to begin in 120 days and to be completed by April.
“All this talk on Capitol Hill about ‘responsible redeployment’ is nothing more than irresponsible political rhetoric,” said Paul Morin, the legion’s national commander, who is also a Vietnam veteran. “Congress should be more concerned with victory in Iraq than defeat in their home states and districts next year. They were elected to make tough decisions to protect America, not their political careers.
“Premature withdrawal and timelines severely jeopardize our national security. This is not a war without end. Our men and women can be victorious. And there is no greater way to honor our fighting men and women in uniform than by ensuring they have the resources, time, patience and support of the American people as they can complete this mission,” Morin said.
Ellie
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Jul 14, 2007 0:00:50 EDT
An Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran will give the Democratic response on July 14 to President Bush’s weekly radio aggress, expressing disagreement with the administration’s Iraq policies.
According to the text of the veteran’s remarks made available July 13, Brandon Friedman, a former infantry officer, will say: “It is time for the president and those in his party, including those running to be the next commander-in-chief, to support changing the mission in Iraq. For the sake of our national security, we must begin bringing the troops home.”
President Bush’s radio remarks were not available in advance of his address.
Friedman says in his remarks that he stayed away from politics while in the military, but “now I can no longer remain silent as our commander-in-chief continually mismanages and degrades the military I have come to love.”
“The escalation of the Iraq war is failing, and now the mission must change,” Friedman says, according to the statement. “President Bush is keeping our already overextended troops in the middle of a civil war instead of deferring to military leaders who agree that we need to transition the mission to focus on a political solution — not a military one.”
Friedman was a rifle platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan in 2002 involved in Operation Anaconda and commanded a heavy weapons platoon during the invasion of Iraq.
Democrats picked him to give the radio address after a week in which majorities in the House and Senate voted to change the administration’s Iraq policies. But the results also showed that there are not enough Republicans votes to provide any hope of overriding an almost certain presidential veto.
Friedman, active in VoteVets.org, a Democratic-leaning group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, says the surge isn’t working.
“The Iraqi government has met none of the critical political or economic benchmarks they set for themselves,” he said.
“The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide — as evidenced by the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and al-Qaida has been able to rebuild,” Friedman says. “We need an effective offensive strategy that takes the fight to our real enemies abroad. And the best way to do that is to get our troops out of the middle of this civil war in Iraq.”
Two major veterans groups, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, have issued statements supporting the Bush strategy and asking Congress to hold off on legislation until September, when a report is due on the effectiveness of the troop surge.
Gary Kurpius, a Vietnam veteran and national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, urged Congress to be patient.
“The September assessment report by Army General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, is the key, not yesterday’s interim report card,” Kurpius said, referring to a new lukewarm assessment of the Iraqi government’s fitful progress on achieving the political and security goals laid out by the Congress in the legislation currently funding combat operations in Iraq.
“Democracy is something that America has been working on for 231 years,” Kurpius said in a statement. “Yet we expect overnight success from a people who are as inexperienced with freedom as Americans would be under a dictatorship. The Iraqis have significant challenges ahead, yet they want to succeed, and they know they need America’s help.”
The American Legion took a much harsher tone, using the words “Operation Turncoat” to refer to a Thursday vote in the House for a withdrawal of combat troops to begin in 120 days and to be completed by April.
“All this talk on Capitol Hill about ‘responsible redeployment’ is nothing more than irresponsible political rhetoric,” said Paul Morin, the legion’s national commander, who is also a Vietnam veteran. “Congress should be more concerned with victory in Iraq than defeat in their home states and districts next year. They were elected to make tough decisions to protect America, not their political careers.
“Premature withdrawal and timelines severely jeopardize our national security. This is not a war without end. Our men and women can be victorious. And there is no greater way to honor our fighting men and women in uniform than by ensuring they have the resources, time, patience and support of the American people as they can complete this mission,” Morin said.
Ellie