Contact: Danielle Holland - (202) 224-9301 or Kevin Sweeney - (202) 224-4513
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski today issued the following statement regarding the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld:

“The American people sent a clear message yesterday at the polls. They want honest answers about the progress of the war – where it’s heading, how we measure success or failure and whether the benefits of our involvement outweigh the costs. President Bush has wisely questioned whether we are achieving the results in bringing peace and democracy to the people of Iraq. I applauded his step to commission an independent study to evaluate our posture and our future role. And today, I wholeheartedly support his decision to seek new leadership for the Department of Defense. New people bring new perspectives, and new clarity is what is vitally needed at the DoD to help restore the confidence of the American people and the morale of our troops honorably serving our nation overseas. The decision to replace Secretary Rumsfeld is a wise one.”

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