Iraq Veteran Calls for Accountability, Change of Course in Democratic Radio Address

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Lt. Col. Andrew Horne (ret., U.S. Marine Corps) delivers the Democratic Radio Address this week, calling for a new direction in Iraq and seeking accountability from the administration. A senior advisor to VoteVets.org, Horne urges the president to work with Congress on recently passed legislation that provides support and resources for the troops where the President's failed policies have
not. The President's veto threat would delay funding for the troops and
keep them policing an Iraqi civil war. Democrats will not stop fighting for
the change the American people demand.

The text of Horne's radio address, as delivered, is below.

Good Morning.

I'm Andrew Horne, coming to you from Louisville, KY. I served in the
United States Marine Corps for 27 years, including time in the Persian Gulf
during Operation Desert Storm, and then again in 2004 and 2005 as part of
Operation Iraqi Freedom. I am proud of my service, and very proud of those
men and women currently in harm's way who are doing their best in a
terribly difficult situation.

When I deployed to Iraq, I believed what the President and his advisors
said about the necessity of the war. I believed that the decision-makers in
Washington would make sure we had everything we needed to get the job done,
and we wouldn't be there any longer than we absolutely had to. What I saw
there changed my mind.

I saw troops riding in Humvees without the proper armor and units
dangerously undermanned for the mission they were asked to accomplish. Most
importantly, I saw that while we won every battle, there was little good we
could do militarily unless the Iraqis took responsibility for resolving
their political differences. Yet no one in Washington offered benchmarks
for success that would motivate the Iraqis to resolve their differences and
lead us home.

In short, the Commander-in-Chief has failed to properly lead the
troops, and previous Congresses didn't ask the tough questions, or demand
accountability. The result is the mess we are in today.

This week, the majority in Congress has taken the lead in providing for
our troops. Supplemental spending bills passed by the House and Senate
provide a much-needed change in the President's Iraq policy. This
legislation also provides billions for our troops, giving them the proper
protection and training they need to survive in Iraq, as well as funds to
fix Walter Reed, provide health care to our troops and veterans, and
research and heal traumatic brain injuries that many troops suffered.

Some of the top generals who served this nation with honor have
endorsed what the House and Senate passed. The bills closely mirror what
was proposed by the non-partisan Iraq Study Group that was appointed by
President Bush. I know my fellow troops are eager to get what the bills
provide.

At the same time, these bills both demand something that previous
Congresses did not -- accountability from the administration. Both bills
demand that the President continue to verify that we are moving Iraq
towards stability, and that we are on track to disengage our combat troops
from the Iraqi Civil War by 2008.

Accountability is something this administration has demanded of
everyone else. Go to the website of the White House, and put in a search
for the word "accountability." What comes up is a list of nearly 2,000
pages on the site that mention the word.

Right there in the President's first major policy proposal, the first
bullet point in the brief on the No Child Left Behind Act reads: "Increase
Accountability for Student Performance: States, districts and schools that
improve achievement will be rewarded. Failure will be sanctioned."

It's ironic that an administration that has touted its commitment to
tying accountability to funding for things like schools or social programs
is so opposed to any performance evaluation itself, especially with
American lives on the line.

Both Houses of Congress have done their jobs and will soon finish a
bill that will provide for the troops. When they're done, the only person
who could keep funds from reaching troops would be the President. If the
President vetoes this bill because he doesn't want to formally demonstrate
progress in Iraq, never in the history of war would there be a more blatant
example of a Commander-in-Chief undermining the troops. There is absolutely
no excuse for the President to withhold funding for the troops, and if he
does exercise a veto, Congress must side with the troops and override it.

As a loyal Marine who loves my country and my fellow troops and
veterans, I ask you, Mr. President, please do not withhold funding from our
troops because you are afraid to change course and show progress in Iraq.

Thank you, and good afternoon.


http://www.democrats.senate.gov
http://www.VoteVets.org

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1. Excellent voice to hear from!

Thankfully, we still get to have a Democratic response to the fascistchimp's propoganda machine.

"Both Houses of Congress have done their jobs and will soon finish a
bill that will provide for the troops. When they're done, the only person
who could keep funds from reaching troops would be the President. If the
President vetoes this bill because he doesn't want to formally demonstrate
progress in Iraq, never in the history of war would there be a more blatant
example of a Commander-in-Chief undermining the troops. There is absolutely
no excuse for the President to withhold funding for the troops, and if he
does exercise a veto, Congress must side with the troops and override it."

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2. .

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3. .

sigh . . .