Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to President Bush’s remarks on the war in Iraq, in which he said he would accept benchmarks:
“The President has long said he supports benchmarks; what he fails to accept is accountability for failing to meet those benchmarks. Benchmarks without consequences and enforcement are meaningless, a blank check. The American people, retired military commanders, and a growing bipartisan majority in both the House and the Senate reject giving President Bush a blank check to pursue the war in Iraq.
“The President has failed to properly budget for the war and vetoed the Iraq Accountability Act, which provided more money for the troops than the President requested. This week, he threatened to veto the current bill, which would fully fund our troops, honor our commitment to our veterans, and hold the Iraqi government accountable. Vetoing one Iraq accountability bill and threatening to veto another is not the kind of cooperation the American people voted for last November.”
