Yarmuth: Congress Hears Same Plan for Iraq

Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker proffered the U.S. Congress a stay-the-course plan for the Iraq war this week, Rep. John Yarmuth says.

The Kentucky congressman said during Saturday’s weekly Democratic radio address that the top U.S. military leader in Iraq and U.S. ambassador to the war-torn nation offered more of the same when they testified before Congress, a Democratic National Committee transcript said.

General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker failed to offer a plan to change direction in Iraq and redeploy our troops. Instead, they offered more of the same, with U.S. troops and taxpayers paying the price, Yarmuth said.

The U.S. representative said by not altering its stance on the war, the U.S. government is directly causing the economic crisis facing the United States.

At a time when our nation scrambles for new ways to stimulate the economy, the money we ship outside our borders to Iraq — at least $2.5 billion per week and $10 billion a month — is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it, he said.