In his first speech on the U.S. Senate floor, Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin slammed the president’s new plan for Iraq, predictably calling for a drawback of U.S. soldiers, not a large troop increase.
A vehement opponent of the Iraq war since his days in the House of Representatives, the Maryland junior senator on Thursday again stressed his displeasure with the progress of success in the region — a familiar theme during his run for the Senate.
“We need a surge in U.S. troops coming home, not a surge in those going to war,” he said during the morning address. “We need a surge in diplomatic and political efforts to end the civil war.”
Cardin said he had hoped that when the Iraq Study Group came out with its report — pointing to the serious problems in the current approach in Iraq — Bush would change his tune.
“Unfortunately, that was not the case,” Cardin said. “He has decided to ignore the advice of the Iraq Study Group … and of the American people.”
Specifically, in his Wednesday night address to the nation, the president officially announced his decision to send 21,500 additional troops to the war-torn nation.
That’s a mistake, according to Cardin, who also advocated for more international aid and diplomacy as a better alternative.
“Victory in Iraq will not be achieved with our military might,” he said. “It will come from successfully aiding Iraq in establishing a government that protects the rights and enjoys the confidence of all its people”
Echoing Cardin’s sentiments, veteran Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski also spoke critically on the Senate floor about Bush’s intentions to up troop levels.
“This is a reckless plan. It is about saving the Bush presidency, not about saving Iraq,” she said.
