Bush Legacy Tour

Washington D.C. - Americans United for Change, the group which recently joined MoveOn.org, Service Employees International Union, VoteVets.org, USAction, the Center for American Progress as well as former Senator John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth in launching a new nationwide, multimillion dollar campaign aimed at shining a light on the cost of war in Iraq, released the following statement in response to today's reports that Iraq's presidential council has rejected a measure setting up provincial elections - a major setback in national reconciliation efforts and yet another hit to the Bush-Republican strategy of endless war in Iraq.

"Despite all the talk coming out of the Bush administration and their backers in Congress about the success the surge has been in Iraq, we now see that political progress in Iraq - the overarching goal of the surge - is far from being achieved," said Brad Woodhouse, President of Americans United for Change. "As the death toll of U.S. casualties in Iraq approaches 4,000, as the cost of the war exceeds $700 billion and as the Bush Administration fails to hold the Iraqis accountable for resolving their differences, the American people have every right to ask - how much more must be sacrificed in American lives and treasure on this endless war?"

"Apparently, the foot-dragging Iraqi government has taken John McCain and George Bush at their word: that the U.S. commitment to Iraq is open-ended and could last up to 100 years or more. It's no wonder the Iraqi's are in no hurry to get their act together. While Bush and McCain are committing the U.S. to be in Iraq ad infinitum, the U.S. economy is sinking into recession and critical priorities, including children's healthcare, are being left behind. While Americans suffer the consequences of the protracted war in Iraq, Bush and McCain and their Republican backers have sent a message to the Iraqis that they are under no pressure to take responsibility for results - all while U.S. forces and taxpayers continue to pay a heavy price."

"In March, the Iraq war will enter its sixth year. By summer, gas is expected to hit nearly $4 a gallon. By year's end, the U.S. will have spent $800 billion on the war in Iraq. Within the next year, the National Bureau of Economic Analysis is likely to declare an official recession and when it started. For President Bush, John McCain and their backers in Congress, Iraq and the recession are as inextricably linked to their disastrous legacy as white is to rice. It's time for accountability - both home and abroad."