Murtha: Post-Withdrawal Bloodbath Would Not Be Congress' Fault
By Nathan Burchfiel
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
September 18, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - If pulling
"Many have threatened that there will be chaos, a bloodbath, when the United States redeploys from Iraq, and this in fact may be the case," Murtha said in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Monday. "If they continue to choose to spill blood, it will not be on the conscience of the
Murtha said ethnic violence in
"The fact that Rep. Murtha acknowledged that leaving
"As Ambassador [Ryan] Crocker noted, the consequences of leaving before completing our mission is ominous," Smith said. "Not just for
Smith said "the safety and security of the
In his testimony to Congress on Sept. 10, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said that "abandoning or drastically curtailing our efforts will bring failure, and the consequences of such a failure must be clearly understood. An
Murtha continues to advocate a speedy and complete withdrawal of troops from the region even as Democratic leaders in the House and Senate are seeking compromise with Republicans to avoid filibusters that have prevented previous measures from passing.
Murtha said he would not support efforts, such as that offered by Democratic Sens. Jack Reed of
"The Democrats who elected us are unhappy with the Democrats in Congress," Murtha said, acknowledging increasing frustrations among the anti-war left with Democrats' inability to enact policy change. "They want this war ended."
But Murtha encouraged patience for the anti-war movement, saying he expects Republicans to maintain support for a continued
Once Democrats have the votes to block filibusters and mandate a withdrawal, Murtha estimated redeployment would take 12 to 15 months.
"We have a plan which we think we can sell in the House," Murtha said. "You'll see a change of direction." He declined to say specifically what House Democrats would do but said he expects a troop withdrawal deadline would be included in appropriations legislation in October or November.
Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee, said he also expects to include provisions in
In his speech to the nation last Thursday, President Bush rebutted calls for full withdrawal, saying that "if we were to be driven out of
"
Source: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200709/NAT20070918a.html
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