Reyes Spanish Language Response To Presidential Speech

I am a little late with this...Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas:

Good evening. I’m Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas. I am the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and a Vietnam combat veteran.

I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to discuss President Bush’s remarks this evening regarding the war in Iraq.

As someone who has experienced war, I know the stress and fear of operating in a dangerous environment, as our young men and women are doing right now in Iraq. As a nation, we are indebted to them and their families, and I thank them for their service. It is our brave men and women in uniform who, more than anyone else, deserve a clear answer from the President of the United States about the way forward in Iraq.

Tonight, our troops, and indeed all Americans, did not receive that answer from President Bush. Instead, we saw more stubborn refusal to acknowledge the will of the American people to bring our troops home. Tonight, the President has announced a stay-the-course strategy that puts us on a path for 10 years of war in Iraq.

Instead of an open-ended commitment to endless war, we need a new direction.

Almost five years after the war began, we lack clear progress toward political reconciliation and have had to endure shifting missions from our Commander in Chief. Instead of hunting down the architect of 9/11 – Osama bin Laden - and quelling terrorists in Afghanistan, President Bush has focused our resources and manpower on Iraq. As a result, we are seeing increased radicalism in the region and the American people are less safe.

After nearly five years, our servicemen and women have suffered tragic casualties and life-altering injuries, we have spent hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, and our military readiness is at its lowest levels since the Vietnam War.

Yet, the threat of terrorism looms as al Qaeda has been able to gain strength, Pakistan has become less stable, and Iran has grown increasingly dangerous, and most of Iraq is not secure. The recent testimony by General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, while citing what military progress they can, points to uneven, inconsistent results. And even they agree – there has been no political progress, as the Iraqi government has failed to implement the reforms needed for national reconciliation.

And what does President Bush offer us?

More of the same – a recipe for endless war in Iraq.

The President’s intention to withdraw 30,000 troops from Iraq by next summer is not a new policy. This reduction, driven by necessity not by choice, will only restore U.S. military forces to their pre-surge level and does little to address the fundamental sources of conflict in Iraq.

This is counterproductive, dangerous, and unacceptable.

The reality on the ground in Iraq is that civil and political unrest reign supreme, and this cannot be solved by our brave troops. In fact, even when U.S. troops ‘surged’ in Baghdad to give Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki the room he said he needed to bring the Sunni, Shia, and Kurds together, there was no significant political progress.

Prime Minister Maliki and the Iraqi government must take a strong stand against sectarian division, and the Bush Administration must up the pressure on the Iraqi government and engage the international community to make that happen.

A strategic redeployment of American forces combined with increased pressure on the Iraqi government and international assistance is essential for success.

Instead of continuing down the same road, what we need is a new comprehensive strategy that defends our vital interests in the region, effectively targets the scourge of Islamic extremism, and is worthy of the sacrifices of our brave troops.

Mr. President - please listen to the American people and do what’s right for our troops and their families.

This is Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas. Thank you for listening.