WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior Democratic Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, today issued the following statement in response to press reports indicating that the U.S. military has concluded in a classified intelligence assessment that Iraq is edging towards chaos:

“While President Bush claims that he is winning the war in Iraq, today’s press reports reveal that the U.S. military’s Central Command concluded weeks ago that the situation in Iraq is edging towards chaos and that urban areas in Iraq are already experiencing ‘ethnic cleansing’ campaigns.”

“So why does Vice President Cheney insist that ‘If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well?’”

“Why does Secretary Rumsfeld claim that ‘you've got a situation where it's not possible to lose militarily,’ while the military is concluding that violence in Iraq is ‘at an all-time high, spreading geographically’ around the country?”

“On the same day that the Central Command concluded that ‘ethnic cleansing’ is taking place in Iraq, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told reporters that President Bush will not rethink his strategy.”

“Meanwhile, President Maliki himself has made clear that he no longer supports the U.S. strategy of neutralizing the militias in Baghdad, creating doubt about who is on our side and who is not.”

“Clearly the Bush Administration just doesn’t get it.  The President says that he listens to the military commanders, but he clearly is not hearing their message that our troops are caught up in the middle of an escalating civil war in Iraq.  It’s time for us to take a new direction that ends the U.S. military occupation of Iraq and redeploys our armed forces out of the country to an over-the-horizon presence.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2006

CONTACT: Israel Klein
202.225.2836