Fuente: © Republican National Committee (RNC)
http://www.rnc.org/

RNC: Murtha's Iraq Plan: More Pessimism, No Solutions

/noticias.info/ Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa) Fails To Recognize Past Terrorism In Iraq And Current Progress Made

Murtha Claims No Terrorism In Iraq Pre-War, Despite Facts To The Contrary:

Rep. Murtha: "There's no terrorism in Iraq before we went there. None. There was no connection with al Qaeda. There was no connection with terrorism in Iraq itself." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 031906)

The Bipartisan 9/11 Commission Report: "There Is ... Evidence That Around This Time [1997] Bin Ladin Sent Out A Number Of Feelers To The Iraqi Regime, Offering Some Cooperation." ("Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States," The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

* "In Mid-1998, The Situation Reversed; It Was Iraq That Reportedly Took The Initiative." ("Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States," The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

* "In March 1998, After Bin Ladin's Public Fatwa Against The United States, Two Al Qaeda Members Reportedly Went To Iraq To Meet With Iraqi Intelligence." ("Fi nal Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States," The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

* "In July, An Iraqi Delegation Traveled To Afghanistan To Meet First With The Taliban And Then With Bin Ladin." ("Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States," The 9/11 Com mission Report, 7/22/04)

* "Sources Reported That One, Or Perhaps Both, Of These Meetings Was Apparently Arranged Through Bin Ladin's Egyptian Deputy, Zawahiri, Who Had Ties Of His Own To The Iraqis." ("Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States," The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

"According To The Reporting, Iraqi Officials Offered Bin Ladin A Safe Haven In Iraq." ("Final Report Of The National Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States," The 9/11 Commission Report, 7/22/04)

"The Former Iraqi Regime Of Saddam Hussein Trained Thousands Of Radical Islamic Terrorists From The Region At Camps In Iraq Over The Four Years Immediately Preceding The U.S. Invasion, According To Documents And Photographs Recovered By The U.S. Military In Postwar Iraq." (Stephen F. Hayes, "Saddam's Terror Training Camps," The Weekly Standard, 1/16/06)

Murtha Claims Iraq Is In A Civil War And Promotes Pessimism:

Rep Murtha: "[W]e're caught in a civil war. ... Then they said it's not a civil war. It is a civil war." (NBC's "Meet The Press, 3/19/06)

Rep. Murtha: "[T]hey said we're going to have 75% of the country controlled by the Iraqis. I flew for an hour and 15 minutes over desert, and there wasn't a soul ..." (NBC's "Meet The Press, 3/19/06)

Rep. Murtha: "I don't see the progress that they're portraying, and I don't understand how they can continue to say that." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 3/19/06)

US Generals On The Ground Disagree With Rep. Murtha; Call Progress "Breathtaking" And "Amazing":

Commander Of Multinational Forces In Iraq, Gen. George Casey Notes Positive Stories That Most People Haven't Heard About Iraq. "There's a lot of bustle here... in Baghdad. There's a lot of economic activity, storefronts crowded, goods stacked up on the street. And the traffic cops were wearing white shirts and neckties, not armored vests. So there's a lot here that I don't think people back in the United States get to see, and it's probably difficult for them to feel the optimism that myself and my subordinate leaders and my members of the armed forces feel about the possibilities here in Iraq." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 3/19/06)

* Gen. George Casey: [T]he vast majority of the Iraqi people remain committed to forming a government of national unity ..." (Gen. Casey, Press Conference, 3/3/06)

Commander, Central Command General John Abizaid: "[I] would say is that the growth of the Iraqi Security Forces, in particular, and the Army, in particular, has been nothing short of breathtaking." (Gen. John Abizaid, Committee On Appropriations, U.S. Senate, Testimony, 3/9/06)

* Gen. Abizaid: "It's my belief that the security situation in the country ...is controllable by Iraqi Security Forces and Multinational Forces." (Gen. John Abizaid, Committee On Appropriations, U.S. Senate, Testimony, 3/9/06)

Commander, Multinational Corps Iraq, Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli: "In the days immediately following the Samarra bombing, the press was actively tracking and reporting every single mosque attack, but the vast majority of the reporting was off the mark." (Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Press Conference, 3/17/06

* Lt. Gen. Chiarelli: "[I] believe we are still far away from [civil war]." (Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Press Conference, 3/17/06

* Lt. Gen. Chiarelli: "The progress I see in the Iraqi Security Forces since I arrived 11 months ago is absolutely amazing." (Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Press Conference, 3/17/06)

Murtha Ignores Signs Of Advancement In Iraq:

Three Iraqi Elections In One Year, Each With Increased Turnout:

* "In January's Election, Votes Were Cast By Some 8.5 Million Iraqis, About 51 Percent Of Registered Voters." (Editorial, "Taking Another Step Forward," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12/13/05)

* "63 Percent Of Registered Voters - Or 9.8 Million People - Took Part In The Constitutional Referendum [On October 15, 2005]." (Edward Wong, "Iraqi Constitution Vote Split On Ethnic And Sect Lines," The New York Times, 10/23/05)

* "Turnout In [The December 2005] Iraqi Election Was Much Higher Than Originally Estimated ... One Senior Official Confirmed It Was More Than 75 Percent." ("Iraq Vote Turnout Over 75 Pct - Official," Reuters, 1/20/06)

Iraq Has A Rising Economy:

* "Since 2003, The Number Of Businesses Registered With The Iraqi Ministry Of Trade Has Jumped From 8,000 To 31,000." (Embassy Of The United States Of America, Baghdad, Iraq, "Improvements To Iraqi Business Environment," Press Release, 12/27/05)

* "The Number Of Firms Listed On The Iraqi Stock Exchange Has Increased From 13 In 2003 To 87 Today." (Embassy Of The United States Of America, Baghdad, Iraq, "Improvements To Iraqi Business Environment," Press Release, 12/27/05)

* "The Number Of Iraqi Firms That Employ Women Has Grown Significantly Since Last Year's Survey. In Late 2004, 43% Of Firms Employed Women, While Now The Number Is 63%." (Center For International Private Enterprise Website, www.cipe.org, Accessed 11/16/05)

* "[G]rowth Has Continued Since The January 2005 Elections. One In Four Companies Says Its Staff Has Grown In The Last Several Months ..." (Center For International Private Enterprise Website, www.cipe.org, Accessed 11/16/05)

* "[N]early Three-Quarters (77%) [Of Iraqis] Anticipate Growth In The National Economy Over The Next Two Years." (Center For International Private Enterprise Website, www.cipe.org, Accessed 11/16/05)

Accomplishments In Training Iraqi Security Forces And Defeating The Terrorist:

* There Are Currently Over 240,000 Trained And Equipped Iraqi Security Forces. (State Department Website, www.state.gov, Accessed 3/19/06)

* In 2005, Over 100 Leaders In Zarqawi's Network Have Been Captured, Undermining The Terrorists Ability To Communicate, Finance And Execute Attacks. (Department Of Defense, "October, 2005 Report To Congress," Press Release, 11/15/05)

* "Iraq's National Security Adviser, Mouwafak Al-Rubaie ... Said There Is A Rift In The Insurgency, Calling It A 'A Major Step Forward In Our Fight Against Terrorism.'" (Rick Jervis, "General Sees Rift In Iraq Enemy," USA Today, 1/26/06)

o "Hundreds Of Iraqis Staged A Demonstration In The ... City Of Samarra On Tuesday In A Show Of Defiance Against Al Qaeda Militants ..." ("Anti-Qaeda Protest In Iraq, Local Anger Mounts," Reuters, 1/24/06)

More Iraqi School Children Are Heading To School Than Under Saddam:

* "Primary-School Enrollment Has Jumped 20 Percent Over The Saddam Years, According To The Brookings Institution's Iraq Index." (Editorial, "On Balance," The Washington Times, 12/7/05)

o "An Estimated 310,000 Iraqi School Children Are Benefiting From The 784 Schools Renovated And New Schools Completed To Date By The US Army Corps Of Engineers And The US Project And Contracting Office (PCO)." (Department Of State's Website, www.state.gov, Accessed 1/11/06) notas_de_prensa_archivo