Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today made the following statement today on the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln beneath the “Mission Accomplished” banner: 

“Five years after the President infamously declared ‘Mission Accomplished,’ we have still failed to accomplish our goals of securing the peace, stifling the terrorist threat, and bringing our troops home to their families.

 “Regardless which candidate wins this November he or she will be left with a military stretched to the breaking point – with soldiers and their families exhausted from multiple combat tours and equipment stocks severely depleted. The next president will be left with an Al Qaeda not weakened as it was poised to be in the days after September 11th, but resurgent because this president diverted our attention and resources from Afghanistan to Iraq.

“Five years later and we are still left with no strategy for how to move forward in Iraq. It is time to develop a responsible and comprehensive strategy for Iraq and address our growing national security concerns around the world.”