STATEMENT ON THE IRAQ WAR

In response to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s address at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul last night, I’m releasing a video statement regarding the serious national security implications of the Iraq war, which Rep. Bachmann has failed to address.

Rep. Michele Bachmann at the RNC.

The full text of the statement is available on the blog entry for August 30 — Day 47.

The 3-minute video can be viewed on the Immelman for Congress YouTube Channel or by clicking on the embedded video below:

FOCUS ON IRAQ

Baghdad Touched by War, Despite Security Gains

Bombings and shootings persist, a reminder that war is not over

Friends of Salam Dawood, 42, who was killed by a roadside bomb at a downtown Baghdad intersection Tuesday, take his body away for the funeral at al-Kindi hospital in eastern Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo credit: Karim Kadim / AP)

September 2, 2008

Excerpts

Small-scale bombings and shootings persist in the capital — each a reminder that the war is not over and that Baghdad remains a place where no trip is routine and residents are still guided by precautions. …

The U.S. military warns consistently that the security gains, though dramatic, are not irreversible and that the relative calm is fragile. …

U.S. and Iraqi officials do not routinely release figures on the number of bombs that explode each month in Baghdad, citing security. …

August was one of the least deadly months since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Still, at least 360 civilians were killed and more than 470 wounded in violence throughout the country, according to an Associated Press count. …

Much of the credit for the drop in violence goes to the U.S. troop buildup of 2007, a cease-fire by the main Shiite militia and a Sunni Arab revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq.

With more soldiers in Iraq, the U.S. military was able to clear villages just outside the capital which extremists had used to rig deadly truck bombs which could claim scores of lives in a single blast.

Iraqi soldiers and police maintain checkpoints around the city, checking for explosives and vehicle bombs.

With that, police say militants are now resorting to low-tech explosives, which kill fewer people but are often more difficult to detect because they use pressure plates or other simple trigger devices. …

Full story