Five Years On, The Mission Is Not Accomplished

May 1, 2008 -- Five years ago today, President Bush told us "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" when they had really barely just begun. Senators Frank Lautenberg, Robert Menendez and Jim Webb held a press conference to discuss the five-year anniversary of the speech President Bush delivered on board the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln while standing under the "Mission Accomplished" banner. In the five years since the President delivered that address, the war in Iraq has deteriorated into an endless civil war that has cost the lives of thousands of U.S. soldiers, distracted us from the real war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan, made us less ready to respond to threats around the world, and severely strained our military. "We want to draw attention to this dubious anniversary and the President's false promises not to revel in the incompetence of his Administration or the foolishness of his war plan, but because it is incredibly important to remind everyone in this country--from our colleagues to the media to the public--that this war rages on and the Bush Administration has no plans or intentions to end it," said Senator Menendez.

Of the more than 4,000 brave Americans killed in this war, 97 percent have died since President Bush declared "Mission Accomplished." And if President Bush had not so recklessly vetoed a bill passed by both houses of Congress and supported by the vast majority of the American people, every one of our combat troops would be home with their families by today, May 1, 2008. Our mission was not accomplished then, and it is still not accomplished today. Our mission will not be accomplished until we change course in Iraq so that we can refocus on the war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan, rebuild our strained military, and stop spending $12 billion a month in Iraq.

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