Hoyer hammers Bush as Iraq war enters year six

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville) issued a statement today on the fifth anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. He used the solemn occasion to express his gratitude to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and to hammer the Bush administration over their Iraq policies.

“As the war in Iraq enters its sixth year on Wednesday, two things are abundantly clear,” Hoyer said. “First, our brave men and women in uniform have done everything that our nation has asked of them, and they have performed their mission with courage, skill and honor.”

“Nearly 4,000 American soldiers have given the ultimate measure of sacrifice in this war, and 30,000 have been injured,” he continued. “This day and every day, we honor the memory of those who have been lost, and pray for the recovery of those who have been injured, as well as the safe return home of our troops who are still deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The congressman said the war anniversary was a day “to acknowledge that the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has not been matched with a strategy for success by the Bush Administration,” saying the administration has “made egregious misjudgments throughout this war – from the decision to deploy too few troops at the outset, to the costs that would be borne by the American taxpayer, to the willingness of Iraqi officials to make the hard decisions that are critical to their nation’s future.”

Hoyer demanded “a new direction in Iraq,” saying, “Democrats are committed to a responsible, phased redeployment of our troops from Iraq.”

“We believe it is long past time that the Iraqi government begin to take responsibility for the stability and security of its own country,” Hoyer said.

Bush, for his part, reaffirmed his support for the war during an address at the Pentagon this morning, saying, “The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary, and it is just. And with your courage, the battle in Iraq will end in victory.”

The president also acknowledged that “the battle in Iraq has been longer and harder and more costly than we anticipated,” but said “it is a fight we must win.”