Reid and Pelosi Call on Administration to Protect Troops

We've written before about the fact that the 20,000 new troops the President is deploying to Iraq will go there without proper equipment.  Now the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have written a letter to the President on the subject.  The press release is below.

For Immediate Release

Date: Wednesday, February 14, 2007

CONTACT:  Jim Manley / Rodell Mollineau, Reid, 202-224-2939

                Brendan Daly / Nadeam Elshami, Pelosi, 202-226-7616

 PELOSI AND REID DEMAND ADEQUATE ARMOR AND EQUIPMENT FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ

Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi today sent the following letter to President Bush, urging him to take the necessary steps to ensure that the tens of thousands of soldiers being sent to escalate the war in Iraq have the armor and equipment needed to perform their mission and protect their lives. Unfortunately, reports suggest that the President is once again sending troops into Iraq without adequate supplies and support. Democrats, who join the overwhelming majority of Americans in opposing the President’s escalation, believe the men and women serving bravely in Iraq should receive the equipment and support they need and deserve.

Quotes from the letter:

“As Iraqi leaders bicker, the violence in Iraq continues to inflict casualties on our troops at unacceptably high rates.  Equally disturbing is the fact that thousands of the new troops you are sending to Iraq as well as those already there will apparently not have the armor and equipment they need to perform the mission and reduce the likelihood of casualties.”

“Mr. President, it is wrong to deploy troops to the Iraqi theater until they have the up-armored Humvees, equipment, lodging, training and other support required to carry out their mission.  We hope you will work with us to make sure that they do.  Our troops and their families deserve nothing less.”