Iraq Accountability

I recently emailed my representatives seeking an accounting of what we have accomplished in Iraq - particularly in terms of rebuilding and traing of troops. From my esteemed senator Barbara Boxer, i received this response, which is at least a nice step in the right direction:

Dear Mr. Ahrens:

Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq . I appreciate hearing from you.

On June 6, I introduced a resolution to spur a political solution in Iraq and encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security through the redeployment of U.S. military forces by December 31, 2006.

I introduce this resolution with the hope and prayer that we will redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq and end this ill-fated war that has resulted in more than 20,000 U.S. troops killed or wounded.

The text of my resolution follows this message.


S.J. Res. 39 June 6, 2006



To spur a political solution in Iraq and encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security through the redeployment of the United States military forces.

Whereas the United States military forces have served bravely in Iraq and deserve the heartfelt support of the United States ;

Whereas more than 2,450 members of the United States military forces have been killed and more than 18,000 wounded in support of military operations in Iraq;

Whereas more than 200 coalition personnel have been killed in support of military operations in Iraq ;

Whereas it is estimated that at least 40,000 people of Iraq have been killed during the military intervention in Iraq ;

Whereas much of the intelligence used by the Bush Administration to justify the use of force in Iraq was either exaggerated or simply wrong;

Whereas President George W. Bush stated that the mission in Iraq was to rid that country of weapons of mass destruction;

Whereas weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq ;

Whereas President George W. Bush then stated that the mission in Iraq was to end the regime of Saddam Hussein and free the people of Iraq ;

Whereas Saddam Hussein is in custody and standing trial for crimes against humanity;

Whereas President George W. Bush then stated that the mission in Iraq was to establish a free, self governing, and democratic Iraq ;

Whereas the people of Iraq elected their first permanent democratically elected government on December 15, 2005, and the cabinet of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been approved by the Parliament of Iraq, concluding the transition of Iraq to full political sovereignty;

Whereas President George W. Bush then stated that the mission in Iraq was to train the security forces of Iraq so that they can do the fighting in Iraq ;

Whereas the Pentagon reports that more than 240,000 military and police personnel of Iraq are now trained and equipped;

Whereas on May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush stood under a banner proclaiming `Mission Accomplished' and declared that Iraq was an ally of al Qaeda;

Whereas the report of the 9/11 Commission found no collaborative operational relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda;

Whereas the commander of the Multinational Forces Iraq, General George Casey, testified before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on September 29, 2005, that `[i]ncreased coalition presence feeds the notion of occupation contributes to the dependency of Iraqi security forces on the coalition [and] extends the amount of time that it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self reliant'; and

Whereas, according to a January 2006 poll, 64 percent of Iraqis believe that crime and violent attacks will decrease when the United States redeploys from Iraq, 67 percent of Iraqis believe that their day-to-day security will increase if the United States redeploys from Iraq, and 73 percent of Iraqis believe that there will be greater cooperation among the political factions of Iraq when the United States redeploys from Iraq: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That--

(1) United States military forces in Iraq are to be redeployed from Iraq by December 31, 2006, or earlier if practicable;

(2) nothing in this resolution prohibits the use of United States military forces from training Iraqi security forces in the region outside of Iraq; and

(3) nothing in this resolution prohibits the use of United States military forces based outside of Iraq to--

(A) conduct targeted and specialized counter-terrorism missions in Iraq ; and

(B) protect military and civilian personnel of the United States in Iraq .


Barbara Boxer
United States Senator