Bayh: Armor Must be Sufficient

The Senator is continuing to be an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's efforts, or lack thereof, to provide sufficient body armor for our troops. He spoke out recently in response to a Pentagon report which says up to 80% of US servicemen deaths in Iraq could have been prevented if they had been equipped with better body armor.

Top military officials should be fired if soldiers are being denied armor that could save lives, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., said from Baghdad on Saturday.

"Heads ought to roll, and they ought to be up at the highest echelons if this turns out to be true and they don't do anything about it," Bayh said.

Senator Bayh should be finishing up his weeklong trip to this Middle East this Wednesday.

On his first day in Iraq, Bayh met with the U.S. ambassador, Iraqi election officials, U.S. intelligence officials and elite Iraqi troops. He also lunched with soldiers, including three from Indiana, and was scheduled to dine with the Iraqi president.

Bayh visited Israel before going to Iraq and is heading to Afghanistan before returning to the United States.