(Warwick, R.I.) “When I was home in August, I held a number of community meetings throughout the district.  Everywhere I went, people were saying the same thing – we need to get out of Iraq as soon as possible.  I completely agree.  I originally voted against giving the President unchecked authority to invade Iraq, and I have supported efforts in Congress to bring our troops home as soon as possible. 

“In his testimony today, General Petraeus stated that some progress has been made in the security situation as a result of the surge in U.S. forces.  However, I would have preferred to hear that the Iraqis had made real progress in the political realm.  A long-term solution to the violence plaguing Iraq cannot be achieved through military might alone.  Only by political reconciliation among Iraq’s tribal, ethnic and religious groups can we hope to find a solution to the strife. 

“General Petraeus also recommended that we make relatively minor reductions in troop levels before next summer, at which point our forces would return to the pre-surge level of 130,000 troops.  In other words, the Administration wants us to continue the status quo for another year in the hope that the Iraqis will resolve their political differences, even though we have seen little progress in that area to this point.  In my opinion, that is too much to hope for, and we as a nation must decide if we want to continue sacrificing American lives and taxpayer dollars when the Iraqis have not taken responsibility for their own future.

“In the coming weeks, Congress will be considering the President’s $200 billion spending request for war operations.  I know I speak for many of my colleagues when I say we will not support a continuation of the status quo.  Democrats have been calling for a new direction in Iraq.  I am hopeful that after General Petraeus’s testimony we are able to work together to develop a new Iraq strategy that will bring our troops home as quickly as possible.” 

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