When asked about his recommendations for progress in Iraq at a Center for American Progress discussion, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said he wanted “no torture” because it caused the U.S. to lose “world support.” (0:25)

 

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Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) says that while U.S. troops once had the highest rate of readiness, they are no longer able to maintain this standard. He says the U.S. army is “broken,” and ill prepared to manage potential threats from countries like China and Russia. (1:36)

 

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Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said at a Center for American Progress discussion on Iraq that the Bush Administration did not realize when it began the Iraq War that “there is a limit to military power,” and that the most important thing is to ultimately “win the hearts and minds of the people.” (0:21)

 

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Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said at a Center for American Progress discussion on Iraq that the U.S. is so “entangled” in Iraq that it has “become distracted from the bigger picture worldwide.” He says Iraq has led to a multitude of domestic problems for the U.S., and its “worldwide reputation is in the tank.” (0:46)

 

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Senators, representatives, veterans, and other public figures gather at a rally in front of the Capitol to promote a new GI Bill that will cover the full cost of college education for veterans.

Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Veteran Lupe Saldana, Former National Commander, American GI Forum of the U.S.

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Today various members of the House and Senate along with several U.S. veterans held a rally outside the Capitol to call for immediate legislative action on the “Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act.” Senators and representatives that included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) addressed the crowd to rally support for the new GI bill that will cover the full cost of college for veterans, along with many recent U.S. veterans who were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the aftermath of 9/11 and are now facing the difficult task of paying for a college education. Many older veterans also attended the rally to show support for the bill and the younger veterans.

Many of the veterans said that although Americans are often under the impression that the government fully provides for veterans’ education, it pays only a meager amount that still leaves them struggling to make ends meet through student loans, grants, and part-time jobs. Many also said they felt unappreciated because after the service they gave to to their country at great personal sacrifice, they received not even the means to a decent education in return. Pelosi said that America needs to “thank our veterans by sending them to college.”

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At a RAND congressional briefing on the “invisible wounds of war,” senior social research analyst and lead report author Terri Tanielian says that conditions like PTSD, depression, and TBI are a “major health issue” for U.S. soldiers and veterans. She says that the impact of mild TBI is still largely unknown, and stresses the need for better screening and treatment of those at risk for these conditions. (0:24)

 

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The RAND Corporation held a congressional briefing today on “Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery” in which senior social research analyst Terri Tanielian discussed the findings of RAND’s recent study on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) amongst U.S. military troops who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tanielian said the RAND study explored the dynamics of PSTD, major depression, and TBI. It examined prevalence, societal costs (including decreased productivity and loss to suicide), and gaps in care for these conditions. Tanielian said that approximately 300,000 veterans currently suffer from PTSD, and that two-year post-deployment costs vary with severity but average about $26,000 per case. She also said that members of the Army or the Marines are at higher risk for these conditions than those enlisted in the Air Force or Navy, and that Hispanics and women are also at higher risk. However, she said the most determining risk factor was combat exposure and experience. Tanielian explained that while effective treatments do exist, not enough veterans are accessing them for reasons that range from scarce availability to fears pertaining to potential career implications and confidentiality risks. Increasing the number of people who receive care, she emphasized, can not only benefit veterans but can also offset the cost of treatment per case.

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At the annual Associated Press luncheon, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) responded to allegations that he had misinterpreted Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) remarks about keeping U.S. troops in Iraq for another 100 years. Obama said that whether troops are there for combat or occupation, it is “wrong” and not affordable. (1:00)

 

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The House Armed Services and House Foreign Affairs committees hosted Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the Multinational Force Iraq commander and ambassador in Iraq respectively.

The testimony and questions did not differ significantly from their testimony the two men gave in the Senate. In fact, both Petraeus and Crocker read their opening statements verbatim at all four hearings where they were called to testify. There was less protest of the testimony in the House committees than had been in the Senate, only one protester was escorted out of the Armed Service hearing. And there were no visible protesters at the Foreign Relations committee.

In the Armed Services Committee, responding to questions from Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Crocker spoke of an ongoing review process for looking at the 18 agreed-upon legislative benchmarks and agreed to inform the committee of the results of the review when completed next week. So far only three of the benchmark legislation has been approved by the Iraqi parliament and only one of those has been implemented. Crocker also emphasized that Iraq is a sovereign nation and that Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki is able to make his own decisions, as made clear by recent action in Basra, and that if Maliki were to exclude Muqutada al Sadr from the political progress that is his prerogative.

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