Gen. Jones Report Raises Little Hope (Sen. Ben Nelson)

General Jones and the rest of the commission did a tremendous job in evaluating the viability of Iraqi security forces.  Unfortunately, their conclusions did not raise much hope that we’ll have a capable, non-sectarian Iraqi force anytime soon.  I agree with General Jones that we must put more emphasis on having Iraqis lead missions to quell sectarian violence while we focus on protecting critical infrastructure and promoting border integrity. Senator Susan Collins and I have proposed a similar plan for Iraq that transitions the mission for our military from suppressing the civil war to border integrity, protecting American assets and fighting al Qaeda.  As we continue this debate, I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in transitioning our mission and changing course in Iraq.