Washington, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) today released the following statement on the controversial Democrat resolution to withdraw troops in Iraq by April 1, 2008, which passed the House by a vote of 223 to 201.

“When are Democrats in Congress going to stop playing politics with our soldiers?  Does anyone seriously believe that this futile political theatre will help our troops win the war?” asks Brady, whose brother, an Army medic, has served in Iraq.

“Our surge troops have only been in place a few weeks so it is terribly premature to determine its success or failure. As everyone in Congress knows, the July benchmark report is only baseline so we can measure the progress in September. Even Iraqi leaders are warning that if America leaves today the country will be plunged into civil war and Al-Qaeda will grow stronger. If we leave prematurely we will certainly pay a higher price in lost American lives later.

It appears to me that some Democrats are far too eager to please Cindy Sheehan at the expense of our fighting men and women.

As someone with a brother in the Army who has served in Iraq, I want military decisions made by our commanders, not politicians with one finger stuck in the air to measure the political winds.”