House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is warning Americans not to get too excited over the death of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, saying in a statement issued by her office Thursday that it really won't do much to improve the situation in Iraq.After briefly noting that she was "proud of our troops for their tireless work," the top House Democrat wasted no time in throwing cold water on the good news.
"[Zarqawi's] death does not alter the fact that our brave men and women in uniform are fighting a war of choice in which the President sent our troops into harm's way without a plan for victory and without leveling with the American people," she complained.
"Several hours after Zarqawi's death, 19 Iraqis were killed and 40 were wounded in a roadside bombing in Baghdad," the San Francisco Democrat noted. "These deaths are a stark reminder of the ongoing violence facing our brave men and women in uniform."
Pelosi said she still agreed with Rep. John Murtha that the U.S. should pull out of Iraq, then added: "Zarqawi's death should be a resounding call to President Bush and the Republican Congress that we must have a serious debate about U.S. policy in Iraq."