An Honest Assessment of the Situation in Iraq

I appreciate President Bush’s honesty in plainly defining his benchmarks for the Iraqi government, the flaws in the war strategy and a realistic picture of the conflict during Wednesday’s address.

President Bush has placed heavy burdens on Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki which I believe are long overdue.  Personally, I do not know whether committing additional U.S. troops in Iraq will aid Iraqi Security Forces in quickly assuming control or slow down the transfer of power.  However, as Commander-in-Chief, it is the President’s sole responsibility to direct our military operations.

In the coming weeks, I anticipate leaders of the Democratic Party putting forward non-binding resolutions regarding the troop surge.  I expect the Democratic leadership will attempt to reject the President’s decisions and may even bow to pressure from the extreme fringe of its party and allow a vote to reject additional funding for our troops in the field.  If these tactics are employed, I will vote to continue providing funding for our troops.  In addition, I do not believe Congress should use non-binding resolutions to attempt to run the Global War on Terror from the backseat.