Denver, Colorado - While this weekend marks the third anniversary of the war in Iraq, a conflict in which 31 Coloradans have died, yesterday marked a tragic milestone of a different kind. Three years ago, Vice President Cheney made his now infamous promise that American troops would "be greeted as liberators" by the Iraqi people. [Meet the Press, 3/16/03] Despite the rosy scenarios promised by the Bush White House, our armed forces have now been mired in a long war and the Administration has no plan for success. Yesterday, almost three years after the invasion, American military forces launched the largest air assault since the start of the war.

No wonder the American people have lost confidence in the President's ability to keep Americans secure. President Bush's approval rating has dropped to a paltry 33 percent in the latest Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll, while the most recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll found that 61 percent disapprove of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. [NBC News, 3/15/06, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11843383/; Pew Center, 3/15/06, http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=271] Here in Colorado, President Bush's approval rating has dipped to 36%. [Survey USA, 3/15/06]

"People in Colorado and across America are losing confidence in the ability of President Bush and the Republicans in Washington to protect our security and lead our country," said Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak. "The fact is, Colorado's Republicans in Washington have failed Coloradans by rubberstamping this Administration's incompetent conduct of a war that has stretched our armed forces dangerously thin, weakened Colorado's national guard and reserve units, and created a new training ground for terrorists.

"Between their blind commitment to a failed strategy in Iraq, their refusal to provide the homeland security resources needed to keep Coloradans safe and secure, and their disastrous economic policies that have undermined economic security for Colorado's working families, Republicans in Washington have proven themselves utterly incapable of protecting our safety and security. No wonder poll after poll shows that Coloradans want a change, not more of the same bad choices and failed policies. Democrats remain committed to fighting for real security for every single Coloradans."