Schakowsky Statement on 6th Anniversary of September 11th

SCHAKOWSKY STATEMENT ON 6th ANNIVERSARY OF SEPTEMBER 11th

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), a Chief Deputy Whip and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, released the following statement today to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

"As we commemorate the 6th anniversary of September 11th, we should reflect on the thousands of lives that were needlessly lost on that tragic day. My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the families that lost loved ones in the attacks. The horrific images from that day will be burned in our memory and national consciousness forever.

We should also use this solemn occasion to remember who actually attacked the United States on that awful day. We owe it to all of the victims and their families to make sure that we hold the right people accountable for September 11th. The Bush Administration has spent the last six years trying to convince the American people that Iraq played a role in the attacks.

It has been six years and we still haven't caught the mastermind behind September 11th, Osama Bin Laden. In addition, our presence in Iraq has actually helped strengthen Al Qaeda and given rise to a whole new generation of terrorists. The fact remains that Al Qaeda did not exist in Iraq before the war, but now it does.

Instead of continuing to fight the wrong war, we should rededicate ourselves to fighting against the real enemies of the U.S. and bring these terrorist criminals to justice. The war in Iraq has weakened our military, damaged our international credibility, and impaired our ability to combat terrorism around the world. We need to put an end to this war so we can focus our energy, time and resources to confronting the real terrorist threats to our safety and security."