(Washington, DC) - U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, today made the following opening statement during the Foreign Affairs Committee hearing entitled "Iraq: Is the Escalation Working?"

“We are here today to discuss–and more likely to argue about–what is blindingly obvious to the vast majority of Americans: the surge hasn't worked, it isn't currently working, and it isn't going to work. Increasing the number of soldiers and marines committed to the same futile mission in Iraq has produced exactly what I, among many, predicted: a commensurate increase in casualties with absolutely no additional gains.

The only difference I can see is that having gone in for escalation, the Administration now appears to be borrowing yet another page from the Vietnam textbook, claiming that all the people we're now killing are from Al-Qaeda. Since they don't wear uniforms, carry dog-tags, or get membership tattoos, I don't know how the administration can be so certain.

But apparently, we've discovered a new capability to distinguish Al-Qaeda from Iraqi insurgents from Iraqi civilians. I don't know how they're doing it, but I certainly hope they're not just lying about body counts.

In January of this year, when the President announced his surge policy, our average number of casualties per week was 14.5. In the four weeks between May 20 and June 16, the average per week was 15.6. In January, the government of Iraq was a shambles, incapable of spending its own resources, administering its own affairs, or achieving a national consensus for reconciliation. In June, things are exactly the same, except fewer of us are surprised.

And there is a simple reason for this. What ails Iraq cannot be fixed with more American military power. No matter how you try, you can't fix a wrist-watch with a sledgehammer. Our military is the wrong tool for this job.

You can't use tanks to build a functioning ministry. You can't use F-15s to build a national consensus. You can't root out corruption with artillery. Even our special operations units, the very best of the best, can't train effective security forces out of people who view the United States as their enemy.

This is not World War II. This is not a war of attrition. This is not a war that can be won by superior technology, or more accurate weapons, or more American infantrymen. Our troops are giving everything they have, but their unwavering devotion, their dauntless courage, their peerless skill and their matchless patriotism can not heal Iraq's woes. They can not make Iraq's political system work. They can not heal the centuries-old rift between Shia and Sunni. They can not undo the bitterness created by Saddam's tyranny. They are brave beyond belief, but they are being committed to support a strategy that can not succeed.

No matter how much the threat gets hyped, no matter how many insurgents we kill, no matter how much money we spend, no matter how many soldiers we send, we will not be able to un-burn-down this house. Ultimately, Iraq's future is going to be decided by Iraqis, and most likely by the same Iraqis who have been shooting at us since 2003.

As the President said in January, ‘America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people -- and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people.’

Been there. Done that. It's time to go.”

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