Adler Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of President Bush's Declaration of Mission Accomplished in Iraq

For Immediate Release: May 1st, 2008
Contact: Raiyan Syed (856) 222-9707

(Cherry Hill, NJ) - State Senator John Adler, the Democratic candidate for Congress in New Jersey's 3rd District released the following statement today on the fifth anniversary of President Bush's declaration that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" while standing under a banner that read "Mission Accomplished".

"Nearly five years ago, President Bush stood on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and declared that our mission in Iraq was accomplished. But since the President's declaration, the war in Iraq has claimed over 3,900 American lives and cost taxpayers nearly $12 billion a month."

"Now it is time for President Bush to put an end to our involvement in Iraq in a responsible and honorable way. The war in Iraq has distracted us from the greater goal of eradicating terrorism and safeguarding the lives of the American people. As a member of Congress, I will take our country in a new direction, reverse the costly mistakes of the Bush administration, and turn our focus to helping Americans economically and keeping them safe here at home."