Deam was speaking at The National Association of Minority Executives, and responded to Bush's statements.
Here is the transcript from the DNC.
http://dnc.org/a/2007/07/governor_dean_r_4.php“The choice is clear between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Every single one of the Republicans – except for one who is a libertarian – has made it clear that they stand by the President’s stay the course strategy in Iraq. Every single one of the Democratic candidates has made it clear they will get us out of Iraq responsibly.
“I want to talk about Iraq for a moment, and respond to what the President said earlier today about the interim report on the surge – a report Democrats forced him to have to make public.
“He refused once again to acknowledge the truth that is staring all of us in the face, stubbornly picking only the facts he wants to see and to hear. It seems he would rather keep our already overextended troops in the middle of a civil war instead of acknowledging what a majority of Americans already know: the surge is not working. Even senior military leaders have acknowledged the need for a political solution in Iraq.
“It’s time for President Bush to recognize that this is not about saving political face and he cannot continue to ignore the will of the American people. This is about keeping America safe, saving American lives, and responsibly bringing our troops home. It’s also about refocusing our efforts on fighting the war on terror, fighting the terrorists where they are – now resurging on the Afghan-Pakistani border.
“Here’s what the President didn’t tell you: Six months into the Republican surge, nearly 600 brave Americans have been killed and we have spent $60 billion in Iraq. Despite these extraordinary costs, Iraqis have met none of their political and economic benchmarks they set for themselves, the surge has failed to make Iraq more secure, and the war will continue to cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. The disastrous failures of the Republican Iraq policy have given Al Qaeda time to reorganize and rebuild. And six years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose.
“We do not need to wait until September to acknowledge the truth that there has been no progress on the most critical benchmarks and that we need to transition the mission and get our troops out of Iraq in a thoughtful way.
“Our brave troops cannot solve Iraq’s political problems. It is past time for the change of course in Iraq that Democrats have been pushing for and a Democratic president will bring - which includes a far more robust diplomatic effort to address the political problems as the Iraq Study Group recommended.
“The parallels between the mistakes being made today in Iraq and the behavior of our government during Vietnam are striking. Troops are sent abroad to fight by an Administration that refused to listen to the advice of military leaders. The Administration decides it is ok to conceal information from the Congress and the American people. Promises like 'stay the course' 'Peace is at Hand' or 'the insurgency is in its last throes' are made by an increasingly desperate Administration.
“A majority of the American people don’t believe the President is telling the truth, while the Administration and its supporters question the patriotism and courage of those who disagree with them. And the victims continue to be brave American troops who are the targets of an insurgency because of failed political leadership and a lack of foresight and planning.
“The Democrats are standing up to President Bush on Iraq, and now even some Republicans in Congress are starting to change their rhetoric. But today when the House votes and next week when the Senate votes -- what really matters is not what they say, but whether or not Congressional Republicans will have the backbone, spine and courage – which they so far have failed to – and join Democrats and vote to bring our troops home.
“So far too few Republicans have joined us. Republicans will pay a price in 2008 for continuing to obstruct the will of the American people. The majority of the American people overwhelmingly want to end the war in Iraq. A majority of Americans believe that Democrats will end the war in Iraq, and they are right.
“In 2008, the best way to ensure that we end the war in Iraq will be to elect a Democratic president. We are going to do everything we can to do that.”
He was reading from the speech, but I had the feeling he would like to have pounded on the podium at times.
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