Pelosi: GAO Report Latest Assessment to Conclude That Iraqis Have Failed to Meet Political Benchmarks
September 4th, 2007 by Office of the SpeakerSpeaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the General Accounting Report on Iraq, which shows that Iraq has failed to meet all but three of 18 required benchmarks for political and military progress:
The independent GAO report released today contrasts sharply with President Bush’s stay-the-course Iraq strategy. The GAO report is the latest in a series of assessments to conclude that the Iraqi government has failed to meet nearly every political, economic and security benchmark laid out by President Bush himself in January.
Democrats stand with the American people and are committed to bringing our troops home safely and soon. It is time to refocus our nation’s efforts on fighting the real threats of terrorism around the world.
THE NONPARTISAN GAO REPORT ON IRAQ:
Iraqi Government Fails to Meet 15 out of 18 Benchmarks
Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an unclassified assessment of the Iraqi Government and its failure to meet 15 out of 18 political, economic and security benchmarks set out by President Bush in January.
From the GAO Report:
“The constitutional review process is not complete, and laws on de-Ba’athification, oil revenue sharing, provincial elections, and amnesty have not passed.” (pg. 3)
The number of daily attacks against civilians remained “about the same over the last six months” (pg. 10)
The number of Iraqi army units “capable of independent operations had decreased from March 2007 to July 2007.” (pg. 12)
The Jayash al-Mahdi, the Sadr militia, “often operates under the protection or approval of Iraqi police to detain and kill suspected Sunni insurgences and civilians.” (pg. 35)
The rights of Iraqi legislators from minority parties are protected by Iraq’s Constitution and governing by-laws, however “widespread violence across Iraq has seriously compromised the government’s ability to protect human rights…attacks against religious and ethnic minorities continued unabated in most areas of Iraq…” (pg. 62)
Chart detailing status of the 18 benchmarks included in the GAO report:
FROM MILITARY LEADERS:
Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., Army Chief of Staff
“Our force is stretched and out of balance…The tempo of our deployments are not sustainable, our equipment usage is five times the normal rate and continuously operating in harsh environments.” [New York Times, 9/1/07]
Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq
“I have not seen any improvement really in the year I’ve been here” regarding the Iraqi security forces… “Progress is slower than it should be inside the (Iraqi) army in particular.”
[Associated Press, 8/31/07]
Lt. Col. Steven Miska, deputy brigade commander
The situation in Baghdad’s Kadhimiyah neighborhood: “It shows you how difficult it is to root out the militia influence when they’ve got political top-cover.”
[Washington Post, 9/4/07]