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Dear xxxx,
Today, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker testified before two House committees about the status of the war in Iraq. The war is one of the most important issues facing our nation, and I would like to share my thoughts with you about today's testimony.
By invading Iraq, President Bush led us into one of the biggest foreign policy disasters in our nation's history. He incorrectly tied Saddam Hussein to the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11, and since then he and his Administration have consistently attacked the patriotism of anyone who dared to criticize their mismanagement and failed leadership.
The war on terror could and should have been handled very differently. Six years ago, U.S. soldiers almost captured Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. But because President Bush had focused his attention on Iraq and diverted our resources away from Afghanistan, bin Laden escaped and still remains at large. The war in Iraq has distracted our country from the real culprits of terror, and has wasted hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayers' dollars.
The President's "surge" strategy has not brought Iraqis any closer to a political resolution to end the war. Instead, our military presence continues to discourage Iraqis from taking responsibility for the direction of their own country. In the meantime, Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers are dying every day with no end in sight.
It's clear that President Bush intends to continue this war until he leaves office, and then burden the next president with the aftermath of his failures. There are no signs of improvement in the Iraqi civil war, and the only reasonable solution to end the violence is to bring our troops home. Tomorrow, General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify before the U.S. Senate where they will face more tough questions from my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee. I promise to work with other Members of Congress -- both Democrats and Republicans -- to bring this bloody war to a close. Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Patrick Leahy =============================
Such a good, decent man.
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