Mikulski : "Our brave troops are risking their lives every day and around the world. We need a Secretary of Defense we can trust. Donald Rumsfeld should resign now."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today continued her call for the immediate resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Senator Mikulski's floor statement, as prepared, is below. You can also download an MP3 of the actual speech at http://demradio.senate.gov/actualities/mikulski/mikulski060906.mp3 .
"Enough is enough with Rumsfeld. I join my colleagues in calling on President Bush to immediately ask for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. I have been calling for his resignation since 2004. His dangerous incompetence is wrong for America and wrong for our troops.
"Rumsfeld was wrong about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. He lead us into war in Iraq based on inaccurate evidence. As a member of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I know he skewed, selected and exaggerated misinformation about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Men and women in uniform have been paying for his deception ever since.
"He sent our troops to war without sufficient body armor or armored HUMVEES, leaving them unprotected against daily attacks by IEDs and RPGs""Rumsfeld was wrong about what it would take to secure Iraq. He sent our troops to war without sufficient body armor or armored HUMVEES, leaving them unprotected against daily attacks by IEDs and RPGs. He left it to Congress to provide more than $1 billion to ensure our Soldiers have the equipment they need to stay safe and accomplish their mission. He has muzzled dissent among our generals in the field who disagreed with his rosy predictions. He ignored warnings about the lawlessness, looting and disorder in Iraq that continue to threaten our troops three years after invasion. The Department of Defense's own report says rising sectarian violence is the dominant trend in Iraq, but Rumsfeld refuses to admit what out Generals can clearly see: Iraq is slipping into civil war.
"He said Iraqi oil - not American taxpayers - would pay for war""Rumsfeld was also wrong about the cost of this war. He said Iraqi oil - not American taxpayers - would pay for war. We've spent more than $300 billion so far in Iraq - $2 billion a week. American people want to know, 'Where's the oil, Mr. Secretary?'
"We need to hold Rumsfeld responsible for prisoner abuse scandals""Finally, we need to hold Rumsfeld responsible for prisoner abuse scandals. Abuse at Abu Ghraid is deplorable, despicable and dishonorable. It does not reflect the values of the United States or the code of conduct our Soldiers live by every day. Rumsfeld's leadership created a command atmosphere where terrible abuse of prisoners was not just tolerated, but encouraged. But only junior enlisted and young officers have been held accountable, while high-level military and civilian leaders are let off the hook. This is unacceptable.
"Rumsfeld is completely incapable of speaking the truth or facing the truth about Iraq""Rumsfeld is completely incapable of speaking the truth or facing the truth about Iraq. His dismal performance has undermined U.S. credibility in the world and undermined this Administration's credibility with the American people. We face serious threats from terrorism and rogue regimes. Our brave troops are risking their lives every day and around the world. We need a Secretary of Defense we can trust. Donald Rumsfeld should resign now."
Senator Mikulski is one of two federal senators for the state of Maryland. She is classified as a Class III Senator. Senators are elected to six-year terms, and every two years the members of one class-approximately one-third of the Senators-face election or reelection. Terms for Senators in Class I expire in 2007, Class II in 2009, and Class III in 2011.
Ms. Mikulski's website is located at http://mikulski.senate.gov/. Her office can be reached at (202) 224-4654. More biographical info on Ms. Mikulski can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Mikulski.