Support the Democrats!

Here is Harry Reid's response to The president's comments earlier today. I think it is critically important to hear both sides of the story, so in case you missed it:

REID: AMERICA CANNOT AFFORD BUSH STRATEGY ANY LONGER
Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, released the following statement today after comments made by President Bush at the White House:
The President today asked the American people to trust him as he continues to follow the same failed strategy that has drawn our troops further into an intractable civil war. The President's policies have failed and his escalation endangers our troops and hurts our national security. Neither our troops nor the American people can afford this strategy any longer.
Democrats will send President Bush a bill that gives our troops the resources they need and a strategy in Iraq worthy of their sacrifices. If the President vetoes this bill he will have delayed funding for troops and kept in place his strategy for failure.
EMANUEL STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT’S “FAIRY TALES AND ROSE-COLORED GLASSES” PLAN FOR IRAQ
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel issued the following statement after President Bush’s press conference today:
“President Bush asserted again in the Rose Garden this morning that we're making progress in Iraq, and Senator McCain insists that Iraqi neighborhoods are safer. Meanwhile, the death toll for US troops continues to mount and the Iraqi government is failing to meet the President's own benchmarks for progress.
“We can't continue to pursue an Iraq policy based on fairy tales and rose-colored glasses. A majority of both the House and Senate have voted to change it. The President should join us.”
Hoyer Statement onthe President’s Remarks
“The President Is Delaying Funding for Our Troops By Ignoring the Will of the American People and Refusing to Compromise”
WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement this morning in response to comments by President Bush regarding funding for American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan:
“By ignoring the will of the American people and refusing to sit down and work with Congress to change direction in Iraq, the President in fact is engaging in unnecessary political theater and delaying funding for our troops in harm’s way.
“It is increasingly clear that, when it comes to the war in Iraq, President Bush is out of touch with the views of the American people, who are demanding a charge in direction and a policy that is designed to succeed.
“After the deaths of more than 3,200 brave American soldiers and the expenditure of more than $400 billion, the President continues to insist that we pursue a failing stay-the-course strategy – even as the Defense Department describes the situation on the ground in Iraq as ‘civil war.’
“Given the Administration’s record of failure in Iraq, Democrats in Congress refuse to simply rubber-stamp the President’s latest funding request. Thus, for the first time in four years, we demand that the Iraqi government be held accountable and meet the benchmarks for progress that the President himself articulated in January, and we support a responsible redeployment that is supported by nearly 70 percent of Americans and endorsed by the bipartisan, independent Iraq Study Group.
“Let’s be clear: Democrats are not attempting to micro-manage this war. We are attempting to change a policy that is failing and chart a new direction in Iraq.
“Finally, for the President to claim that Democrats are somehow responsible for the readiness issues faced by our armed forces is patently absurd. In fact, top military officials – including General Peter Schoomaker – have issued strong warning about the effects of this war on America’s overall military readiness and our ability to respond to emerging strategic threats.”
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Kerry Responds to Bush Press Conference
WASHINGTON D.C. –Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) offered the following statement today, following President George Bush’s press conference.
“The President’s promise of a veto rings as tragically hollow as his pledge of ‘mission accomplished,’” said Kerry. “Congress must enforce a one year deadline for redeploying most U.S. troops from Iraq. President Bush stubbornly refuses to change the disastrous policy in Iraq, so this Congress has no choice but to force a change in course. No more open ended commitment, no more leaving American troops in the middle of an Iraqi civil war. The American mission in Iraq will be to train Iraqis and chase Al Qaeda, not do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves. Unlike this administration, when it comes to standing by our troops, we mean business.
“An administration that misled America into war is once again trying to mislead when it comes to supporting our troops. If the President uses his veto, he is the one denying funding for our troops. Our brave American troops deserve nothing less than a policy that is equal to their sacrifice. Congress has done its job, now the Administration needs to do its job and force Iraqi politicians to do their job. Get the funds to our troops, and get Iraqis to achieve the political compromise this misguided escalation was supposed to make possible.
“The President says he sent more troops into Baghdad to give the Iraqi government ‘breathing space,’ to find a political solution to the civil war. But where is the progress in meeting key political benchmarks – and where is the accountability for squabbling Iraqi politicians? American soldiers should not die while the Iraqis refuse to compromise.”
Chicago, IL-Today, Barack Obama made the following statement in response to President Bush's remarks during his press conference on Iraq.
"The American people and their Congress have said repeatedly that they will no longer accept a war without end in Iraq. If the President chooses to ignore the people's will and play politics with the funding for our troops, Democrats and Republicans will continue to ratchet up the pressure on this Administration to change course in Iraq and bring this war to a responsible end, and I will continue to fight for my plan that would begin a phased withdrawal from Iraq with the goal of bringing all combat troops home by March 31st, 2008."