Bipartisan Support for a New Iraq Policy

It has been a pleasure to work with my colleagues, Senators John Warner and Ben Nelson, to draft this balanced, bipartisan, resolution that clearly expresses our views on the President’s plan to send more troops to Iraq, and that distinguishes between the sectarian violence in Baghdad and the violence in Anbar Province.

My thoughts were shaped by my most recent trip to Iraq in December.  I came back convinced that an overall increase in American troops in Baghdad is not the answer to ending the sectarian struggle in Iraq.  By contrast, I personally believe that the U.S. does need reallocate troops out of Baghdad and into the Anbar province where our troops are battling al Qaeda and foreign fighters.

This resolution firmly says that the Senate disagrees with the plan that the President has presented, but it also respectfully urges the President to consider alternatives and to work with us to come up with a bipartisan plan to achieve our goals, that would encourage the Iraqi government to take the long overdue steps that are needed toward political reconciliation, to form a true unity government.  Ultimately, resolving the sectarian violence requires a political, not a military, solution in which the Sunni minority is more fully integrated into the power structures.

There is no more critical issue facing our nation right now than developing a new strategy in Iraq.  Our hope is that we can come together, in a bipartisan way, and put the Senate on record on this vital issue.