Pelosi and House chairs decry Iraq’s unpaid reconstruction tab

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was joined by House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), House Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), and Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) in a press conference to talk about the extended cost of the war in Iraq in anticipation of testimony by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker next week. The members focused on the failure of the Iraqi government to finance reconstruction and hit legislative benchmarks in addition to the strains on the U.S. military and domestic spending.

Pelosi began by quoting Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said earlier in the week that Afghanistan is an “economy of force campaign” and that there are unmet needs in Afghanistan because of the high force levels in Iraq. Mullen has continually referenced the “stress on the force” caused by long deployment, short dwell times, and fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq. All the members said that the administrations’ priorities are mixed up and that domestic issues are suffering as a result of the Iraq war.

Skelton praised the troops and military leadership but said regarding the readiness of the troops, “You’re wearing ‘em out. The strain is heavy!” He said that extended tours and decreased re-enlistment numbers are wearing the force thin and that worries over the readiness of the force for other unforeseen conflict keep him up at night.

Pelosi said that the only thing she does not want to hear come through Petraeus testimony is “a glorification of what has just happened in Basra.” She said that she doesn’t want to hear that the Maliki government was showing initiative or winning when they didn’t consult wit the U.S. forces and ended up having to accept peace terms from Muqtada al Sadr, whom she described as being “dictated to” by Iran.

Emanuel in closing said, “Remember this is the war that was supposed to pay for itself with Iraqi oil revenue.”
Pelosi chimed in, “It was supposed to cost $50 billion dollars,” and then referring to the Iraqi government, “And they haven’t paid for anything.”