WASHINGTON - March 21 - Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) issued the following statement today on President Bush's comments about Iraq during this morning's press conference:

"The President's already sizeable credibility gap on Iraq has grown to a credibility abyss. The President needs to remove his rose colored glasses, speak the truth to the American public, and acknowledge the reality of what is going on in Iraq.

"The President, and the neoconservatives who sent us to war, are the only ones who cannot, or will not, acknowledge what everyone else seems to understand: Iraq is locked in a deadly civil war, caused by the United States' illegal occupation. Our troops are being asked to do the impossible, they are caught in the cross fire of a civil war.

"The President must be honest with the American people. Things are going badly in Iraq, and our presence as an occupying force is counterproductive. Iraq is now a war our own generals say cannot be won by military force alone.

"The President's latest assessment that Iraq is not engulfed in a civil war can be placed right up there with his Administration's other greatest hits such as, 'mission accomplished,' 'we will be greeted as liberators,' 'bring it on,' and 'Iraqi oil will pay for reconstruction.'

"Three years after the start of the ill-conceived, ill-advised, misguided and failed Iraq war, this Administration still refuses to speak truthfully to the American public. It is time to end the grave misadventure in Iraq and begin the process of bringing all of our troops home from Iraq in a quick and orderly manner.

"Plans exist to bring a peaceful end to the war and bring stability to the region. It is far past time for the Administration implement these plans."

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