wfn.org | BUSH'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION IGNORES IRAQ WAR FAILURES

["Jenny Shields" <JShields@afsc.org>]

"Far Too Many Have Died in this Failed, Misguided War," STATES THE
AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE, CO-RECIPIENT OF THE NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE DURING WORLD WAR I and II

Contact: Janis D. Shields, Director Media and Public Relations
(215)	241-7060 AFTER HOURS: (302) 545-6596

PHILADELPHIA, PA - June 29 - This week, faced with documents that
discredit his reasons for war and plunging poll figures among the
American public, President Bush addressed the nation in the wake of the
growing death toll in Iraq. Once again the President urged Americans to
'stay-the-course,' rather than accept his responsibility for the
nightmare scenario his Administration has created.  He tells us that our
sacrifice will prove worthwhile to the Iraqis and to Americans.

We disagree.  Far too many have already died in this failed, misguided
war that dishonors the sacrifices Iraqis and Americans have made.

The very presence of the U.S. is causing instability in Iraq.  Violence
continues to escalate. Every time we drop a 500-pound bomb or invade a
town, innocent men, women and children are killed.  Every time there is
a neighborhood sweep, Iraqis are arrested, mistreated, and often
disappear into a prison bureaucracy.

 An estimated 100,000 Iraqis have already died in the war and
occupation.  Rather than hindering, our policies have helped terrorist
recruitment.

More than 1,700 U.S. military persons have died; more than 13,000 are
wounded.  We are spending over $5 billion a month to fight the war in
Iraq.  Each dollar spent for the war and occupation threatens education,
heath and vital human services here at home. Tragically, by our
administrations' own admission, there is no end in sight.

The truth is glaring.  Pre-emptive war is a dismal failure.

If we follow the President's course, the future promises only further
deaths and injuries, more widows and orphans, more separated families in
Iraq and in the U.S.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) believes that there is no
military solution to the Iraq war.  We urge the Bush Administration and
Congress to chart a future course using diplomacy and broadening a deep
and honest dialogue that includes all aspects of Iraqi society.

We call for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and bases from Iraq.
Construction of permanent military bases has become a major point of
contention for a growing number of members in the newly elected Iraqi
government.

By calling on the U.S. to leave Iraq, we do not mean we should abandon
the Iraqi people.  Rather, we call upon those governments participating
in the international coalition to pay full compensation to Iraqis for
any and all damages - from this war and the sanctions policy that
deliberately starved the country for so many years. These obligations
should be carried out through substantial economic and technical support
to the people and institutions of Iraq.

We should invest in life, not death.  Giving hope for the future must be
the next steps in Iraq. We can support Iraqis' efforts to rebuild their
society. These measures will build bridges with a country that has
experienced isolation over the past thirty-five years.

Across the globe more and more voices recognize the immorality of this
war and call for it to end. When faced with the alternatives - more
deaths, surging violence, increased resistance to occupation and
heightened animosity toward the U.S. - the choice becomes clear.

The President's call for sacrifice includes no plan to end the war or to
rebuild the Iraq that years of war and sanctions have so damaged.  Human
life is sacred.  This war must not go on indefinitely.	The road to
Peace in Iraq is the path that leads U.S. troops home. It's time for the
President to lead us out of Iraq -  not next year, not next month, but
right now.

# # #

The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that
includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice,
peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the
worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome
violence and injustice.